Being part of the team tasked with developing a COVID-19 vaccine by Pfizer and BioNTech was no easy feat for Guyanese-born scientist Vidia Roopchand, who faced numerous stressors, including the loss of his mother as he was in the midst of his work, but did not lose hope.
“I had to compartmentalise my emotions several times during the last ten months and the equanimity that I think I displayed was due in part to this ability to compartmentalise my emotions. For example, on the morning of June 15, 2020, I was in the lab preparing the cells which were used to confirm the antigen expression of the vaccine candidates when I received news that my mom had passed away, and I still managed to get my task completed,” Roopchand said.
Roopchand, who was born in Wakenaam, Region Three, led the cell culture group for vaccine antigen expression which is used to determine if the correct vaccine protein is being expressed and also assisted in some of the immunological assays which were used to evaluate the vaccine during the development of the BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech.
In a recent interview, Roopchand said that he felt humbled and honoured that he was asked to step up and possibly contribute to the eradication of the novel coronavirus pandemic.
“I have represented Guyana in this effort. I am fortunate that both my life and professional experiences have prepared me for this scenario and that our teams at Pfizer and BioNTech were able to deliver this vaccine to the world. I believe this is likely the most significant medical advance of the last 100 years, if you count the impact this will have in public health and the global economy,” he said, while noting that his contribution to the development of the vaccine could not have been possible without his family, friends, neighbours, teachers, and colleagues, among others.
From the time Pfizer and BioNTech embarked on the development of the vaccine, Roopchand disclosed that it was very challenging for him mostly because they were dealing with a new pathogen and needed to evaluate new technology to make and deliver vaccines.
He said that he faced several challenges throughout the experience and that the daily and projected mortality and morbidity figures were constant sources of trepidation. This made it very challenging for him to stay focused on executing his tasks in the laboratory.
In addition, balancing family life with professional duties also proved to be challenging as his wife, Nadia, a registered nurse is a frontline worker so she was stressed out as well. However, having his mother-in-law living with them made everything a lot easier.
Roopchand also said that waiting for the preclinical and clinical data to be analysed by the statisticians was also nerve-wracking and cost him several sleepless nights.
“It was very challenging because we were dealing with a new pathogen and evaluating a new vaccine technology to make and deliver the vaccine… This experience has validated my belief that great things can be accomplished by human beings when they work together for the common good of all mankind. I also learned a lot about not losing hope in the face of a global threat. I think that this came from having faith in God and a personal belief that I was destined to be part of the effort to defeat this virus,” he said, before adding that he also knew that he and his team had the social responsibility of protecting the world from infectious disease.
He went on to note that the threat of COVID-19 brought out the best in the Pfizer and BioNTech teams who made a collaborative and prodigious effort to develop a vaccine in ten months rather than eight to ten years as is normal and this was driven mostly by the impact the pandemic has been having on the rest of the world and the team’s commitment to scientific integrity and quality.
He noted that development of a vaccine in such a short period is unprecedented and was only made possible because of the collaboration between academic centers, biopharmaceutical companies and government agencies. “I have learned a lot about being graceful under pressure! It was a humbling experience because the possibility of failure was always there, but as the pre-clinical data started to look more and more promising, I became a lot less tentative and a lot more confident,” he said.
Despite the challenges he faced, Roopchand acknowledged that it made him appreciate the importance of having a family during those “stressful times” and he is thankful to God for giving him the strength and optimism to keep going.
Roopchand said that he is very happy that the COVID-19 vaccine has proven to be effective and feels fulfilled to be working in vaccines research and development and believes that this is his purpose in life. “I get an endorphin rush from learning that I helped to prevent death and disease. I love to see things flourish, whether it be people or plants, this may explain my passion for gardening.”
The scientist was also part of developing the Prevnar vaccine which has since reduced infant infections due to pneumococcal disease by 90 per cent. He was also part of an initiative which saw the reduction of polio cases in Africa.
When asked what he liked about working with Pfizer, Roopchand said that the company is a transnational medicine-driven environment where the primary goal is to deliver life-saving medicines. He appreciates the work-life balance which Pfizer encourages, the opportunities for professional growth, and the immense cultural diversity within the company. Also, his work schedule allows him to spend time with his family, stop at the gym and plant in his garden.
He credits his successes in life to the Guyanese education system. “I could not have been part of the COVID-19 vaccine effort had it not been for the foundation which I received in Guyana at the Sans Souci Methodist School, ARMS, and University of Guyana.”
Roopchand’s plans for the future include him returning to Guyana to give a talk and some lectures about the development of the vaccine. “This pandemic has taught us how woefully prepared we were and that with this new m-RNA technology, a rapid response to viral pandemics is now possible. Being part of a Caribbean pandemic preparedness initiative is a distinct possibility,” he said before concluding that he would like to thank Miss Applewhite, Miss Hardin and Maxwell Cox, a former ARMS Headmaster for providing him with a sound educational foundation.