The two Houston-based physicians, Dr. Peter Hotez and Dr. Maria Elena Bottazzi, who helped develop the vaccine, are attracting international attention.
HOUSTON —
Houston lives up to its reputation as the medical capital of the world.
Texas Children’s Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine have helped develop a new COVID-19 vaccine that has been approved for emergency use in Indonesia.
The two Houston-based physicians, Dr. Peter Hotez and Dr. Maria Elena Bottazzi, who helped develop the vaccine, are attracting international attention.
“This is just groundbreaking work. It is very important for us. We’re always looking for technology that can be culturally appropriate,” Bottazzi said.
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Her team made the prototype for the “Indo-Vac” vaccine, which allowed BioFarma, an Indonesian pharmaceutical company, to scale it up and make it its own.
The company is expected to produce 20 million cans this year.
“This will build a lot of trust and confidence in the Muslim world,” Bottazzi said.
According to Hotez, the Indo-Vac is in the final stages of receiving special certification that will make it acceptable under Islamic law.
“It’s vegan technology, so no animal cells, no human cells, no animal protein, no human protein. It’s not a big leap, we think we’ll get that halal certification,” he said.
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Last December, Texas Children’s used similar technology for another COVID vaccine that was being used in India.
The groundbreaking technology Dr. Hotez and Bottazzi earned a 2022 Nobel Peace Prize nomination for their contributions to global vaccine equality.
“It’s enough for us to be nominated and get that recognition, it’s just fantastic,” said Hotez. “It’s proof that we are making a difference to humanity when it comes to science for humanitarian causes. It’s a dream. Dr. Bottazzi and I have been working together for 20 years.”
The 2022 Nobel Peace Prize winners will be announced next week.
