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Mar 14, 2021 20:21:13 GMT -5
Post by 3bid on Mar 14, 2021 20:21:13 GMT -5
Letter Urges New Inquiry
Mar 05, 2021
In an open letter, more than two dozen researchers urge the international community to conduct a new investigation into the origins of SARS-CoV-2, the Wall Street Journal reports.
The World Health Organization recently sent a team of investigators to Wuhan, China, where the first COVID-19 outbreak occurred to search for the source of the virus. Last month, Peter Ben Embarek, the team leader, said during a press briefing that their inquiry pointed to a natural reservoir for the origin of the virus, likely bats.
The letter-writers argue that the WHO team had inadequate access to fully investigate the matter, according to the Journal. The New York Times adds that while many researchers investigating the origins of SARS-CoV-2 think it originated in bats and moved into another animal before jumping over to people — and recent studies have uncovered viruses similar to SARS-CoV-2 in bats — other theories have also spread.
The letter-writers, who hail from Australia, France, India, the US, and elsewhere, in particular argue that the WHO team could not have ruled out the theory of a lab accident and call for fuller, transparent, and independent investigation. "We cannot afford an investigation into the origins of the pandemic that is anything less than absolutely thorough and credible," the letter says. "Efforts to date do not constitute a thorough, credible, and transparent investigation."
The Journal adds, however, that the letter is unlikely to lead to a new investigation.
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Comments Fri, 03/05/2021 - 1:35pm I am sure that will not happen. Submitted by bboyes_2358197
Thorough, credible and transparent is a bar that is unlikely to have been met early, and impossible to meet currently. It seems highly unlikely that any degree of investigation will satisfy the requirements of "proving" the initiation of human infection by this virus. It is also highly likely that the authors of "the letter" already know this. So, other than posturing, what useful purpose could be served?
Sat, 03/06/2021 - 12:15am It is always . . . Submitted by allan.coop Good to, "test the waters." and while we are on the topic, perhaps you might like to read the following . . .
It is what any well-trained virologist will tell you: My advice: Ignore it at your peril. To quote from the Conclusion below:
When one follows the science, and nothing but the science, it becomes extremely difficult to not label ongoing mass vaccination campaigns as a crime, not only to public health but also to individual health.
Thus, it will soon be clear whether “politicians” are taking notice of medical knowledge or have a hidden political agenda driving their behavior.
============================================================ We must halt all ongoing Covid-19 mass vaccination campaigns, as a temporary health benefit to the most vulnerable groups does not justify a public health disaster of international concern.
Geert Vanden Bossche, DVM, PhD virology, independent seasoned vaccine researcher, previous SPO at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and SPM at GAVI is urging WHO and world political leaders to immediately halt all ongoing Covid-19 mass vaccination campaigns as there is compelling evidence that they will soon dramatically worsen the consequences of the current pandemic.
Attached to this letter, you will find a summary of the manuscript I am currently in the process of finalizing. I initially intended to attach the manuscript in full to my letter. However, given the exceptional urgency of my call, I have no choice but to send you the summary (+ conclusion) in advance. I will post the manuscript in full on LinkedIn as soon as I can (presumably in the course of next week).
In the upcoming manuscript I will share my insights on the immune pathogenesis of Coronavirus pandemics. Those are based on an in-depth analysis of Covid-19-relevant scientific literature (key references will be appended) and backed by my deep vaccine knowledge and relentless perseverance in unraveling the host’s immune defense mechanisms and strategies viruses have evolved to escape those. Understanding the interplay between the virus and the host immune system is a prerequisite for designing vaccines able to counter the immune subversive strategy of infectious pathogens. I do not think that it is reasonable for WHO or any other health authority to approve ‘emergency use’ of vaccines aimed at conducting mass vaccination campaigns in the very heat of an infectious pandemic without having gained an in-depth understanding of how this may impact on the outcome of the pandemic.
In particular, lack of understanding of the consequences of immune pressure on highly mutable viruses has now allowed for the approval of a number of Covid-19 vaccines that are completely contraindicated for fighting a pandemic, regardless of the technology used. Although safe and efficacious and providing temporary relief to part of the population and to healthcare facilities, these vaccines will soon come with a heavy toll to be paid by the entire population if mass vaccination campaigns continue.
Again, given the urgency of my call, I will neither allow time for peer-review, nor for English proofreading, nor for fine-tuning the wording or for screening the manuscript for redundancy. As I merely seek to provide enough of compelling scientific proof for sounding this warning bell, I will not deal with relevant matters as exhaustively as I would normally do. Clearly, the upcoming manuscript is not meant to be submitted to a scientific peer-reviewed journal but to explain the scientific rationale behind my cry of distress and urgent wake-up call. May they for God’s sake draw the world’s attention to what I think is now likely to become the biggest and most tragic mistake made in the history of public health in general and in the field of vaccination in particular.
To support my wake-up call and credibility, I am not nearly as much relying on my credentials (which you can find at LinkedIn:
As I am on a diversified set of relevant scientific reports from the literature and on the evolution of the pandemic itself. The latter is now featured by the emergence of much more infectious viral variants.
Nevertheless, you may still opt for now to not believe the statements, conclusions and forecasts that will be made in this manuscript and which have already been summarized as attached. However, I have no doubt that in the days and weeks to come ‘doubting Thomas’ will have to admit that he was proven wrong. In the meantime, these disastrous vaccination campaigns will likely be intensified and even extended to younger age groups. Given the power, influence and blind ambition of the stakeholders driving these campaigns, it is going to be incredibly difficult to stop this act of complete madness. When all of them will finally have to admit the catastrophic consequences of this ‘experiment’, precious time and, more importantly, many more lives will have been lost. Eventually, complete lockdowns will likely be imposed for an indefinite period of time as a last resort.
Although largely based on direct or indirect scientific evidence, the views expressed in the manuscript will be my personal views. Of course, I take full accountability of what I am saying and I can only hope that those who’re in charge will be sufficiently convinced to take their responsibility and stop all ongoing Covid-19 vaccination campaigns immediately. There should be no excuse and certainly no complaints about lack of warnings by dedicated experts. I cannot emphasize enough that continuing these vaccination endeavors will dramatically prolong, instead of shorten, the current pandemic and take a much higher toll in terms of disease and fatality rates in all of the population. It goes without saying that a such enhancement of this crisis will come with unbearable socio-economic consequences for many years to come.
The manuscript will provide compelling evidence that – as far as acute self-limiting viral infections are concerned - the natural course (i.e., without human intervention!) of a Coronavirus pandemic is typically featured by 3 waves that ultimately flatten as the infection merges into a seasonal ‘common cold.’ However, it is difficult to predict how long it would take a natural Covid-19 pandemic to ‘downgrade’ to yet another kind of seasonal ‘common cold’ without human intervention. Maybe somewhere between 2 to 4 years, but that’s a personal guess. This is, of course, not to say that in the meantime one should not do whatever is possible to mitigate the disease in those developing severe symptoms. But first, “do no harm” (“primum non nocere”): Given the huge amount of immune escape that will be provoked my mass vaccination campaigns and flanking containment measures, it is difficult to imagine how human interventions would not cause the Covid-19 pandemic to turn into an incredible disaster for global and individual health.
I would have been able to put the appended manuscript together without having dedicated the last 10 years of my career to designing an entirely new vaccine concept that aims at enabling our immune system to kill a multitude of infectious (and even, noninfectious) diseases without allowing the pathogen, or any ‘variant’ editions thereof, to escape the immune response induced. In contrast, all of the current Covid-19 vaccines rely on strengthening adaptive (as opposed to innate) immunity in general, and humoral (i.e. antibodies) in particular. Hence, none of them will prevent immune escape and, for that matter, all will be subject to anti-viral resistance. Adapting the composition to the new circulating variants does not solve the problem as science tells us that this will even accelerate the rate of immune escape (in asymptomatic Covid-19 carriers).
Isn’t it surprising that while we have now become so well aware of all dramatic consequences and threats surrounding microbial resistance to antibiotics, we still don’t believe that fighting viruses in ways
that do not completely kill them opens the door to vaccine resistance? While we have been taught to always take the medication for as long as prescribed, even if we were already feeling much better, we still don’t seem to believe that viruses can escape to specific antibodies if antibody concentrations or affinity are no longer sufficient to neutralize the virus. Widespread use of antibiotics is generally acknowledged to raise a serious global concern about antimicrobial resistance, but nobody seems to bother about resistance to vaccines that are used in mass vaccination campaigns in the context of an ongoing pandemic. Since those are conducted against a huge infectious background, a multitude of vaccinees will be in the process of seroconverting while being exposed to circulating infectious virus. Prophylactic vaccines against viral or other infectious diseases are typically administered well in advance of a likely risk of infectious exposure. While this is ensuring full-fledged protection to the infectious agent, it is also preventing immune escape and hence, resistance to the vaccine. Aren’t we not already witnessing an increasing number of cases of Covid-19 vaccinated people who still shed virus and sometimes even develop mild symptoms? Aren’t these cases compelling enough in proving how easily Covid-19 viruses can escape antibody responses? How can we then be so excited about current Covid- 19 vaccines knowing that they allow immune escape and thus, enable the virus to select more infectious variants? And do we really think that going for a one dose shot (instead of the prescribed 2-dose vaccination schedule), as some propose, is not going to even expedite immune escape?
In our naïve and simplistic attempt to prevent the pandemic from running its natural course, we are in fact providing the beast with an even much better opportunity to escape host immunity than natural infection does. The only way to do better than the natural pandemic is to eradicate Covid-19 right away. To do so, there is probably no other way but to concentrate on vaccination strategies that allow DURABLE priming of innate immune killer cells (i.e., NK cells), the activation of which has already been shown to correlate with full viral clearance in asymptomatically Covid-19-infected subjects. As innate cytotoxic cells enable non-antigen-specific killing of the virus, they don’t drive immune escape.
By implementing immune intervention strategies that capitalize on empowering these innate immune cells to acquire immunologic memory, it must be possible to fully, broadly and durably protect human populations against all Covid-19 editions, and even against Coronaviruses at large. The ‘sterilizing’ immunity they provide would not only protect people who would ‘naturally’ become asymptomatically infected (but, unfortunately, only enjoy natural protection for as long as they keep their innate immune system well-trained through moderate but regular pathogen exposure) but also subjects who would ‘naturally’ develop (severe) symptoms or even succumb to the disease.
In conclusion, fostering the development of NK cell-based vaccines should become a public health priority. As will become obvious from the manuscript, NK-cell based hold great promise for stopping this pandemic at its source while also ensuring future preparedness to emerging pandemic threats at large.
Immediate cancellation of all ongoing Covid-19 mass vaccination campaigns should now become THE most acute health emergency of international concern.
Executive summary
The manuscript, which is in now in the process of being finalized, should shed some light on how the virus and especially its interaction with the host immune system determines the natural course (i.e., without human intervention) of a Coronavirus (CoV) pandemic. The interplay between host immune defense and viral immune escape determines the course of a natural CoV pandemic (including a natural Covid-19 pandemic).
In the clinic, viral immune escape is known to occur when the neutralizing capacity of serum antibodies (Abs) does not suffice to fully eliminate highly mutable viruses (e.g., CoV) for lack of their concentration or affinity. In a CoV pandemic setting, seroconversion occurs against a background of high infectious pressure and is, therefore, prone to promote viral immune escape.
The first wave of disease 1 (and mortality) primarily affects elderly people (or otherwise immunocompromised subjects). Selective (i.e., adaptive) immune escape is expected to cause this wave to transition into a more severe, second wave in younger age groups. Subsequently, non-selective (i.e., innate) as well as selective immune escape operated by increasingly infectious viral variants will trigger a third wave. The latter would primarily affect subjects who recovered from disease they contracted during the first wave as their seroneutralising Abs do no longer properly match the new circulating viral variants. This third wave of disease (and mortality) would come to an end when those who recovered from the disease will have mounted new functional Abs against these immune escape variants. As seroconversion in this population will now occur much faster (due to recall of cross-reactive T helper memory cells) and as the majority of the young and middle-aged population will either be seronegative or have seroconverted already by the time the third wave starts to expand, chances are slim for the virus to escape the host’s Ab response. Asymptomatic 2, seronegative individuals (i.e., the vast majority of young and middle-aged people) may spread virus upon (re-)infection and hence, constitute a relevant source of viral transmission. However, CoV infection in these asymptomatic carriers is abrogated after a short period of viral shedding. Viral clearance in these subjects is likely to occur through activation of NK cells. The latter are capable of recognizing CoV-associated, antigen (Ag)-nonspecific patterns on the surface of CoV-infected epithelial target cells. As killing by NK cells is, therefore, not Ag-specific and as seroconversion
1. For the purpose of the manuscript, ‘disease’ refers to severe Covid-19 disease with involvement of lower respiratory airways 2. For the purpose of the manuscript, ‘asymptomatic’ infection refers to CoV infection which does not cause clinically relevant symptoms or only causes a mild level of disease (i.e., only involving upper respiratory airways) in asymptomatically infected subjects is only short-lived, viral immune escape does not normally occur. Consequently, new, more infectious, variants are unlikely to emerge from this population as long as viral infectiousness does not dramatically increase.
At the point of ‘no immune escape’, the pandemic will be under control and merge into an endemic infection. However, as long as the point of ‘no immune escape’ isn’t reached, any additional immune selection pressure, for example as a result of suboptimal concentration or affinity of Ag-specific (e.g., spike protein-specific) Abs, will allow the virus to rapidly unfold more infectious, immune escape variants. Additional immune selection pressure, especially when exerted during the second wave of a CoV pandemic, is likely to precipitate and amplify viral immune escape. This might even cause the second and third wave to merge into a single huge wave of mortality and disease that affects all layers of the population (possibly, with the exception of small children).
Especially mass vaccination campaigns, particularly when conducted in the midst of a pandemic, are prone to exerting enormous immune pressure on circulating virus strains. This is because the vaccine is used in an increasingly infectious context (as escape variants are more infectious). Mass vaccination campaigns will accelerate the emergence of even more infectious immune escape variants. This because the number of vaccine recipients who seroconvert within a given time period will dramatically increase . In addition, Ag-specific, high affinity Abs induced by any of the current vaccines will outcompete natural, broadly protective mucosal IgM antibodies as the latter only bind with low affinity to the receptor-binding domain of CoV (RBD). This will particularly affect natural resistance of younger age groups which - thanks to a well-trained innate immune system- resisted disease during the first wave. The new circulating CoV variants may now even be able to escape the host’s CoV variant-nonspecific line of immune defense at the mucosal portal of entry. These age groups may, therefore, become more susceptible to symptomatic infection and shedding caused by more infectious variants.
But mass vaccination campaigns will also have severe consequences for those who got vaccinated first (mostly the elderly or people with underlying disease or those who are otherwise immunocompromised). In the highly likely event that mass vaccination will soon result in antiviral resistance (see below), these people will have no single bit of immunity left to rely upon. In contrast to the infectious circulating virus, current vaccines do either not contain any critical killer cell motif or fail to activate dedicated killer cells. It goes, therefore, without saying that vaccine-induced immune responses will inevitably result in a dramatic enhancement of morbidity and mortality rates in all of the human population (except for small children?).
Alike naturally infected subjects, vaccine recipients need time to mount a full-fledged Ag-specific Ab response. Further to all of the above, low exposure to circulating CoV strains (e.g., due to stringent containment measures) will increasingly weaken innate mucosal immunity for lack of training. Again, this is particularly relevant for those who - thanks to their sufficient and adequate innate immune defense – got away with asymptomatic infection during the first wave. Stringent and widespread infection prevention measures are now increasingly compromising their innate immunity and rendering them more susceptible to symptomatic infection. Especially the younger age groups may, therefore, end up with relatively higher morbidity and mortality rates, even regardless of the emergence of more infectious viral variants. This is to say that broadly implemented infection prevention measures will only amplify the already detrimental consequences of ongoing mass vaccination campaigns. It is reasonable to assume that the combination of non-selective and selective immune escape will cause morbidity and mortality rates in younger age groups to explode.
The more Covid-19 vaccination campaigns in the young and middle-age groups will be delayed (i.e., relative to their initiation in the elderly), the more they will enhance morbidity and mortality rates in this group: By the time mass vaccination campaigns are about to start in the young and middle-aged groups, a substantial number of these people will already have been infected with Covid-19. Enhanced rates of infection by highly infectiousness viral variants significantly has now increased the likelihood for them to become re-infected while being in the process of seroconverting. So, by the time vaccinations will be initiated, viral immune escape in this group may already be fueling a vicious circle of enhanced viral infectiousness resulting in more seroconversion and hence, more immune escape. Mass vaccination campaigns in this group will only dramatically deteriorate the situation as they will lead to a fast and massive increase in the number of asymptomatic subjects that are in the process of seroconverting against a highly infectious background. and, therefore, prone to promoting viral immune escape. As there is naturally no reason for them to isolate, there will be plenty of opportunity for the highly infectious circulating strains to replicate in the presence of suboptimal Ab titers and, therefore, to escape the host’s immune control.
Hence, the more vaccination campaigns in this group get delayed, the more selection of even more infectious viral variants will be expedited. The ensuing exponential increase in viral immune escape rates will ultimately enable viral variants to even break through vaccine- mediated protection in the vaccinated elderly. As their Abs increasingly mismatch the ever more infectious emerging variants, they will no longer manage to control viral replication and shedding and rapidly allow for massive viral immune escape. Because seroprotective Abs primarily confer protection through targeting Covid-19’s RBD, the virus will now increasingly select mutations in this particular part of the spike protein as those most readily enable the virus to escape vaccine-induced Abs. This will inevitably precipitate resistance to the vaccine. As a result of mass vaccination, people who got the vaccine first will suddenly no longer be protected and, despite vaccination, fall prey to a wave of catastrophic morbidity and mortality.
There can, therefore, be no doubt that current vaccination strategies are rendering the impact of mass vaccination campaigns even more catastrophic and only adding to the magnitude of a pending global health disaster. However, mass vaccination also harms individual health as vaccine-induced variant-specific Abs will outcompete natural variant-nonspecific mucosal Abs for binding to CoV variants and thereby deprive individuals from their broadly protective natural (life)line of immune defense.
As large scale vaccination campaigns combined with the sustained implementation of several containment measures will only expedite the occurrence of viral escape mutations, the illusory hope that current Covid-19 vaccines could generate herd immunity should once and for all be thrown overboard. Along the same line of reasoning, it is not unthinkable that Covid-19 will, once again, cross species barriers. One can definitely not rule out that with growing immune- mediated selection of virus variants, Covid-19 is ultimately going to be able to jump to other animal species, especially industrial livestock (e.g., intensive pig and poultry farms with high stocking density) as i) these species are already known to host several different Coronaviruses and ii) variability/ mutations in the very same spike protein, and particularly in the RBD, are known to be responsible for shifts in host tropism/ susceptibility. Similar to the situation with influenza virus, these animal species could then constitute a reservoir for SARS-COVID-2 virus. Depending on the prevalence of circulating animal CoVs in those farms (and hence, the level of trained immunity), those animals could now serve as asymptomatic carriers, thereby constituting a serious threat to humans.
Conclusion:
The combination of mass vaccination and infection prevention measures is a recipe for a global health disaster. Following the science, one has to conclude that all age groups (possibly with the exception of small children) will be heavily affected and subject to rates of morbidity and mortality that raise much faster and much higher than those expected to occur during the natural course of a CoV pandemic. This will particularly apply if the sequence of mass vaccinations following the first infectious wave parallels that of natural infection (i.e., immunocompromised people and elderly first, followed by the younger age groups).
No one, for that matter, should be granted a right to implement large-scale pharmaceutic and non-pharmaceutic immune interventions, especially not during a viral pandemic, and certainly not without an in-depth understanding of the immune pathogenesis of a viral pandemic. When one follows the science, and nothing but the science, it becomes extremely difficult to not label ongoing mass vaccination campaigns as a crime, not only to public health but also to individual health. To substantiate the reasoning above, the manuscript will first explain how components of the innate immune system can protect against Covid-19 and render infections asymptomatic. It will then go on to explain in more detail why and how, in an immunologically Covid-19-naïve population, selective (i.e., adaptive) immune escape shifts the first wave of disease and death from the elderly (and immunocompromised) subjects to those who at the outset of the pandemic got away with asymptomatic infection (i.e., the younger and middle-aged population segment). Similarly, it will be explained how viral immune escape in the asymptomatically infected population finally shifts back the burst of morbidity and mortality to the elderly, and how the population eventually controls the pandemic by controlling viral immune escape. This will already illustrate the critical importance of desiccating the changing contribution of innate and adaptive immunity to the population’s overall immune defense against a viral pandemic. Understanding these dynamics helps to comprehend the sophisticated course of a natural CoV pandemic, how it eventually merges into an endemic infection and why human intervention has a highly detrimental impact on the refined interplay between the virus and its host. In regard of the latter, the devastating global health impact of ongoing mass vaccination campaigns and accompanying stringent and widespread containment measures will be explained in more detail as the global and individual health consequences could simply be unbearable for many years to come.
After the introductory section on innate immune defense mechanisms relevant to Covid-19, other relevant topics will be addressed in form of questions and answers. Last, a section will be dedicated to the scientific rationale for using NK cell-based vaccines that could provide sterilizing immunity and hence, wipe out Covid-19 and related variants all together.
The natural course of a CoV pandemic is controlled by the population’s innate and adaptive immunity and dramatically aggravated by antibody-based vaccines when used in mass vaccination campaigns conducted in the course of the pandemic and flanked by stringent containment measures.
NAC: Natural asymptomatic carrier : for the purpose of this manuscript, NAC is defined as a subject disposing upon a level of innate immunity high enough to resist disease
nonNAC: For the purpose of this manuscript, nonNAC is defined as a subject who is not endowed with a level of innate immunity high enough to be able to resist disease when exposed to infectious virus during the first wave
Author: G. Vanden Bossche, DVM, PhD; 26 February 2021
www.genomeweb.com/scan/letter-urges-new-inquiry#.YE6tM2fsaUk
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Geert Vanden Bossche, PhD, DVM Freelance Consultant - Vaccine Discovery & Preclinical Research incl. scientific-technical support in patent litigations Huldenberg Ottenburg, Flanders, Belgium
About Creative thinker, innovator, entrepreneur and problem solver always open to new consultancy or career opportunities in the field of Vaccines, Life Sciences and/ or Global Health to deliver solutions to unmet medical needs. My work and supportive advice are driven by a relentless passion to help bridge the gap between research and enterprise and to translate scientific breakthrough findings into competitive vaccine products. I strongly believe that a well-balanced synergy between multiple scientific disciplines combined with sound strategic insights and dedicated managerial support is critical to solving complex challenges in Human and Animal Health. Profile: Experienced management professional; expert in vaccine R&D and early vaccine dvpt,; proficiency in program and grant management; used to working in a heavily interconnected environment (in private and nonprofit sector) while managing the needs of numerous stakeholders. Proven track record of success in designing and developing vaccines, managing dynamic, high-performing consortia, developing efficient processes to deliver impact, offering expert scientific-technical advice on complex immunisation projects, leading vaccine R&D work as CSO. Proficiency in program management, team leadership, patent writing, laboratory research, immunology, epidemiology, microbiology, vaccine technologies, preclinical vaccine dvpt. Substantial experience in strategic budgeting, CMC- and IP-related matters, incl. patent infringement and litigations. Over 2 decades of professional experience working in Europe and the US in managing implementation of immune interventions to address unmet medical needs. Highly familiar with major challenges in Global Health (as previously engaged with B. & M. Gates Foundation and GAVI). I am particularly interested in engaging with international companies or organisations in the private or public sector or which are involved in public-private partnerships targeted at translational medicine programs, preferably in the field of Vaccine Innovation or Intellectual Property (e.g., IP issues, litigations related to infringement of vaccine patents).
Experience VARECO Graphic Managing Director VARECO Sep 2012 - Present8 years 7 months
Europe
Independent vaccine consultant with a long- standing track record in Academia, Vaccine Industry and Global Health (GH); providing support on vaccine project management as well as advice, guidance and expert opinion on preclinical development of vaccines & biologicals, from project selection up to IND. Assignments include prophylactic and therapeutic vaccine projects in Human and Veterinary Vaccine Industry, Small Biotech, Global Health organizations in the US or Europe
My knowledge…
Show more German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF) Graphic Head of the Vaccine Development Office German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF) Aug 2017 - Feb 20187 months
Cologne, Germany
Spearheading a portfolio of translational vaccine research projects, conducted at German universities and research centres sponsored by DZIF. Holding overall accountability for strategic alignment of translational infection research in support of preclinical and early clinical testing. Developing a trans-academic translational network for Vaccine development totalling eight universities and research organizations across Germany. Univac Graphic Chief Innovation & Scientific Officer Univac Nov 2014 - Nov 20162 years 1 month
Huldenberg
II founded Univac as inventor of a new vaccine technology which I subsequently further developed as CSO of the Company. The technology enables the development of universal vaccines educating the host immune system to redirect immune targeting away from canonical antigens to a widely divergent spectrum of vitally vulnerable pathogen-derived ‘self-mimicking’ antigens, irrespective of MHC polymorphism. Although ‘non-self’ and exposed on the surface of infected or pathologically altered cells…
Show more Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI) Graphic Program Manager Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI) Mar 2015 - Mar 20161 year 1 month
Geneva Area, Switzerland
During my term at GAVI, I coordinated GAVI’s Ebola Vaccine Program and contributed to the implementation of an integrated vaccine work plan in collaboration with Global Health Partners (WHO, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, CDC, UNICEF), regulators (FDA) and vaccine manufacturers to enable timely deployment or stockpiling of Ebola vaccine candidate(s) that suitably meet the requirements for use in an Ebola epidemic. In this capacity, I also contributed to several workshops aimed at proposing…
Show more Positions in Academia Graphic DVM, PhD, adjunct professor Positions in Academia Sep 1980 - Sep 201535 years 1 month
Belgium - Germany
- Training in Veterinary Medicine at the faculty Notre-Dame-de-la-Paix and the State University of Ghent (1980-1983) - Doctoral degree in Veterinary Medicine from State University of Ghent (1983) - Postdoctoral training in Equine Medicine and Surgery at the Free University of Berlin, Germany (1984-1987) - Postdoctoral Fellowship in Virology at James A. Baker Institute for Animal Health, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA (Sept 1990- mid 1991) - Research…
Show more Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) Graphic Senior Program Officer, Global Health, Vaccine Discovery Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) May 2008 - Jun 20113 years 2 months
Seattle, Washington 98102, USA
Responsible for operating Vaccine Programs (e.g., HIV-1, Malaria, TB, Polio...) and establishing international product development partnerships for immune interventions in Global Health (e.g., with Academia, Biotech Industry, NIH, Welcome Trust, WHO, PATH). Coordinating and spearheading international collaborations and consortia on innovative vaccine approaches and steering multidisciplinary vaccine initiatives
Solvay Biologicals Graphic Global Project Director Influenza Vaccines Solvay Biologicals Jul 2007 - May 200811 months
Weesp, the Netherlands
Responsible for leading the operational aspects of an interdisciplinary project team including the planning and implementation of adjuvanted Influenza vaccines that enable dose sparing.
Implementation of commercial-scale production of cell-based methods and expansion of Influenza vaccine production capacity such as to meet DHSS (U.S. Department of Human Health Services) contractual requirements (Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Plan)
Novartis Vaccines & Diagnostics Graphic Director, Research Program Leader and Head of Adjuvants Novartis Vaccines & Diagnostics Aug 2006 - Jul 20071 year
Siena, Italy & Emeryville, USA
Vaccine Research Program/Adjuvant Program responsibilities: - Project leader of NVD's RSV vaccine project (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) - Coordinator of preclinical activities on combined seasonal RSV-Influenza vaccine for elderly & high risk adults - Responsible for defining and shaping the scope and strategy of NVD's adjuvant and vaccine delivery technologies including management of NVD’s adjuvant portfolio, opportunity…
Show more GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals Graphic Head of Adjuvant Technologies and Alternative Deliveries, R&D GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals May 2001 - May 20065 years 1 month
Rixensart, Belgium
- Research Program Leader on Vaccine Formulation Development & Alternative Deliveries and in charge of biophysical characterization activities on adjuvanted vaccine formulations. - Coordination and follow-up of extramural contracts & collaboration agreements on new immunization strategies and innovative vaccine adjuvant, delivery or formulation technologies (e.g., co-delivery, mucosal, subcutaneous, intradermal immunization) - Development and validation of vaccine and…
Show more GSK Biologicals GSK Biologicals 6 years 4 months
Senior Project Leader ‘Adolescent Vaccine Projects' Jun 1998 - May 20013 years
Rixensart, Belgium
Major responsibilities: Project Management on Raw Material Traceability (RAMATRA) and vaccine projects in Late Development, e.g., Herpes Simplex Virus type 2, Hepatitis B, Streptococcus Pneumoniae and Enterotoxic Escherichia Coli (in collaboration with SBL Vaccines, Sweden)
New Biotech Vaccine Development and QC-QA Manager Feb 1995 - May 19983 years 4 months
Rixensart, Belgium
Major responsibilities (3 direct reports; 6 technicians):
- Management and coordination of vaccine product development, optimization as well as validation of analytical methods in accordance with regulatory requirements or guidelines and vaccine marketing constraints - Budget management of all activities related to QC assay development - Transfer from R&D and further development of new QC-relevant characterization techniques on new vaccine candidates (e.g.…
Show more Education Ghent UniversityGhent University Graphic Ghent University Doctor of Medicine (M.D.)Veterinary Medicinecum Laude 1980 - 1983
Detailed CV and list of publications available on demand
St-Lievenscollege Antwerp- Belgium Graphic St-Lievenscollege Antwerp- Belgium - Languages English - German - French - Dutch - Groups Vaccine Technology NetworkVaccine Technology Network Graphic Vaccine Technology Network - Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Alumni NetworkBill & Melinda Gates Foundation Alumni Network Graphic Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Alumni Network - Veterinary VaccinesVeterinary Vaccines Graphic Veterinary Vaccines - Vaccine Knowledge NetworkVaccine Knowledge Network Graphic Vaccine Knowledge Network - myBIO Community - Biotechnology connectionsmyBIO Community - Biotechnology connections Graphic myBIO Community - Biotechnology connections - AIM Infectious Diseases GroupAIM Infectious Diseases Group Graphic AIM Infectious Diseases Group - Vaccine Professionals GroupVaccine Professionals Group Graphic Vaccine Professionals Group -
be.linkedin.com/in/geertvandenbossche
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HOW
Apr 8, 2021 11:41:57 GMT -5
Post by 3bid on Apr 8, 2021 11:41:57 GMT -5
The SPARS Pandemic, 2025-2028: A Futuristic Scenario for Public Health Risk Communicators
Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security; October 2017. Schoch-Spana M, Brunson EK, Shearer MP, Ravi S, Sell TK, Chandler H, Gronvall GK. [chapter 13]: Concern about SPARS was quite high among many parents of young children, and when antivaccination campaigns began threatening vaccine uptake, some of these parents began to mobilize. Parents who were once active in the provaccination campaigns of 2015 began repurposing communication channels developed at that time, including Facebook pages and Twitter accounts. New local groups also began to organize on ZapQ, Snapchat, and other social media outlets. Ultimately, by November 2026, many of these groups coalesced to form a semi-cohesive national group that attempted to counter the efforts of the super-anti-vaccination group. [chapter 17]: Demographically, vaccination rates across the United States were mixed. Rates were high among Filipino-Americans, healthcare workers, families with young children, and individuals who identified themselves as Republicans. Rates were considerably lower among African Americans, Muslims, college students, and pocketed communities in places like San Francisco and Boston, where anti-vaccine sentiment was particularly high. To reach members of these groups—which, with the exception of the pocketed communities, were largely spread throughout the country—the US government added a new, aggressive advertising campaign to its pro-vaccination efforts. This campaign provided targeted internet advertisements to individuals as they conducted web searches or visited anti-vaccination websites. If someone searched Google for “Corovax side effects,” for example, a sidebar advertisement appeared on the results page explaining the benefits of the vaccine. Likewise, if someone wished to view the Kalocivir vomiting video on YouTube, they would first have to watch either a montage of pictures illustrating the effects of SPARS or a clip of Paul Farmer’s explanation of Corovax’s benefits. This advertisement campaign required government officials to leverage relationships in the information technology industry, including the many companies involved with social media, but the impact was worth the effort. Vaccination rates eventually began increasing across all targeted demographics except the most recalcitrant anti-vaccine activists. [...] As the pandemic tapered off, several influential politicians and agency representatives came under fire for sensationalizing the severity of the event for perceived political gain. As with many public health interventions, successful efforts to reduce the impact of the pandemic created the illusion that the event was not nearly as serious as experts suggested it would be. President Archer’s detractors in the Republican Party seized the opportunity to publicly disparage the President and his administration’s response to the pandemic, urging voters to elect “a strong leader with the best interests of the American people at heart.” A widespread social media movement led primarily by outspoken parents of affected children, coupled with widespread distrust of “big pharma,” supported the narrative that the development of SPARS MCMs was unnecessary and driven by a few profit-seeking individuals. Conspiracy theories also proliferated across social media, suggesting that the virus had been purposely created and introduced to the population by drug companies or that it had escaped from a government lab secretly testing bioweapons. The very real possibility of a future SPARS pandemic necessitates continued commitment to vaccination programs as well as accurate, culturally appropriate, and timely communication from public health agencies across the planet. While the communication experiences of the SPARS pandemic of 2025-2028 offer some examples for how this communication can and should occur, they also identify practices that should be avoided, or at least modified, for responses to future public health emergencies. read >>> www.auricmedia.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/spars-pandemic-scenario.pdf T H E J O H N S H O P K I N S C E N T E R FOR H E A L T H S E C U R I T Y
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Post by 3bid on Apr 27, 2021 16:27:08 GMT -5
First Masks Now Social Distancing Proven Ineffective Per New MIT Study
Renk | NewsTalk WBCK
Published: April 27, 2021
Last week I reported about a federal government research study and paper issued by the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) which is part of the United States National Library of Medicine (NLM), a branch of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
That study and paper produced by the study were both approved and funded by the government of the United States. The study determined that the Covid-19:
“case fatality rate is considerably less than 1%. This was confirmed by the head of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases from US stating, “the overall clinical consequences of COVID-19 are similar to those of severe seasonal influenza”, having a case fatality rate of approximately 0.1%.”
That same study determined that the effectiveness of wearing a mask to avoid contracting the Covid-19 virus is very low. In fact close to zero if you are not wearing a N-95 mask that you change often.
This week a new study by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) professors Martin Z. Bazant, professor of chemical engineering and applied mathematics, and John W.M. Bush, professor of applied mathematics found the following about social distancing:
“The distancing isn’t helping you that much and it’s also giving you a false sense of security because you’re as safe at 6 feet as you are at 60 feet if you’re indoors. Everyone in that space is at roughly the same risk, actually”
CNBC reported that these MIT professors “developed a method of calculating exposure risk to Covid-19 in an indoor setting that factors in a variety of issues that could affect transmission, including the amount of time spent inside, air filtration and circulation, immunization, variant strains, mask use, and even respiratory activity such as breathing, eating, speaking or singing”.
One by one we are finding out what we were told to do to mitigate the spread of the virus was not true. I understand this is the nature of science, but we also know that real scientist, as opposed to the scientist motivated by politics and an agenda, for 8 months or longer have been telling us these very same findings.
The bigger problem was or political leaders destroying our economy, businesses, jobs, education, people’s lives, denied children of their milestones and rights of passage in their lives and borrowing over $5 trillion dollars by making very consequential edicts and executive orders off of these incorrect scientific assumptions.
Professor Martin Bazant stated:
“We argue there really isn’t much of a benefit to the 6-foot rule, especially when people are wearing masks…It really has no physical basis because the air a person is breathing while wearing a mask tends to rise and comes down elsewhere in the room so you’re more exposed to the average background than you are to a person at a distance.”
As to my point about destroying our economy, businesses, jobs, education, people’s lives, denied children of their milestones and rights of passage in their lives and borrowing over $5 trillion dollars Professor Bazant stated:
“What our analysis continues to show is that many spaces that have been shut down in fact don’t need to be. Often times the space is large enough, the ventilation is good enough, the amount of time people spend together is such that those spaces can be safely operated even at full capacity and the scientific support for reduced capacity in those spaces is really not very good…I think if you run the numbers, even right now for many types of spaces you’d find that there is not a need for occupancy restrictions.”
Professor Bazant went on to say that we do not have to spend large amounts of borrowed taxpayer dollars for new filtration systems, just open a window or install new fans to keep air moving and it would be just as effective.
It gets even worse for the reputations of the CDC, NIH, WHO and Fauci when Professor Bazant said:
“This emphasis on distancing has been really misplaced from the very beginning. The CDC or WHO have never really provided justification for it, they’ve just said this is what you must do and the only justification I’m aware of, is based on studies of coughs and sneezes, where they look at the largest particles that might sediment onto the floor and even then it’s very approximate, you can certainly have longer or shorter range, large droplets”
Due to their above findings they concluded:
“The distancing isn’t helping you that much and it’s also giving you a false sense of security because you’re as safe at 6 feet as you are at 60 feet if you’re indoors. Everyone in that space is at roughly the same risk, actually,”
How many times have you heard the intelligent people asking for the “justification” for the “orders” that came from the CDC, WHO, Governors and Presidents?
In reference to mask they found that “even with masks on, as with smoking, those who are in the vicinity are heavily affected by the secondhand smoke that makes its way around the enclosed area and lingers”.
Professor Bazant ended with the following statement that we should all be upset with our “leaders” and TV scientist when he said:
“We need scientific information conveyed to the public in a way that is not just fearmongering but is actually based in analysis”
Most of our civil liberties were taken away, we were and still are ordered to wear masks and keep away from people all based on what? In the beginning, I can understand the rash decision making but just a few months into this virus many reputable doctors and scientists were questioning the executive orders and the “science” behind them. They were providing their own proof behind what they were saying while the government scientist provided none.
Will we allow this to happen to us again without more pushback? We will see.
Should these politicians who forced their control over our lives when science was telling them it was not needed pay the price? I certainly hope so when they are up for re-election.
wbckfm.com/first-masks-now-social-distancing-proven-ineffective-per-new-mit-study/
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