Developing the next generation of vaccines will need fresh ideas from talented researchers.Credit: Nadezhda Akimova/Shutterstock
Vaccine research is hot once again. COVID-19 vaccines have been developed and rolled out at an unprecedented speed: by late October 2021, nearly 6.7 billion doses had been administered worldwide (covid19.who.int).
To keep up this fantastic pace, the vaccine industry needs fresh input from talented scientists and energized collaborations. GSK’s solution has been to establish training schemes, aiming to tempt in people doing PhD or postdoc research, or who want to develop into a scientific or leadership role. One of these, the Global PhD and Postdoc Programme, offers scholarships, scientific collaborations and career-development opportunities. The curriculum includes seminars with renowned scholars, soft skills development and career guided initiatives.
“New people bring new ideas and capabilities,” says Yannick Vanloubbeeck, head of discovery and preclinical research and development (R&D) at GSK Vaccines in Rixensart, Belgium. “But we are looking for more — we want innovative and open mindsets and skills in decision-making; we want immunologists, data scientists and medical doctors. We also want people who can motivate, convince and network.”
GSK has end-to-end vaccine capabilities, from R&D to regulatory affairs, manufacturing, marketing and sales. Its Future Leaders Programme (FLP) allows graduates to experience different facets of the vaccines business to see what they do and don’t like, both in job roles and leadership styles.
Simone Pecetta was a postdoc in the United States when he joined the FLP as an R&D associate scientist in 2018. “Curiosity drew me to apply. I’ve always been a scientist, but I was wondering what was next,” he says. “FLP gave me the opportunity to explore a new research area in a different environment.”
Over two years, Pecetta worked in three different departments, mentored by Vanloubbeeck, who had joined GSK in 2006, also after being a postdoc in the United States. Pecetta’s training included roles in external R&D where he managed collaborations with academics, and in early stage R&D and intellectual property.
Now a senior scientist at GSK in Siena, Italy, Pecetta says that joining GSK took him out of his comfort zone. “I saw it as a sabbatical from academia, but I am now passionate about working as part of a team. It has given me a backpack of knowledge and increased my network.”
Megan Rasmussen joined GSK’s Scientific Leaders Programme (SLP) in Rockville, Maryland, in February 2021. Her two-year SLP is project based, and Rasmussen’s research will focus on virology. She will undergo training on the industry, the vaccine development process, immunology and vaccinology.
“I’m enjoying the focus on a project and working in a team,” said Rasmussen. “For me, I hope it will provide a first step in the industry. But as this is a postdoc role, there’s the option of going back into academia afterwards.”
At GSK, the vast proportion of research is collaborative. Attracting new people from academia brings their networks, as well as access to cutting edge science, data and tools. If someone then moves back to academia or gets a job at another biopharma, there is still the potential to collaborate.
“Internal collaborations, through job exchanges and secondment, also exist — and are vital,” says Vanloubbeeck. Future vaccine success will require internal and external skills, and need both internal and external collaborations. GSK has in place schemes and frameworks that enable all of that to work.