Dr. Barney Graham was a virologist at the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) Vaccine Research Center in the 2000s. From his childhood days on a farm in Kansas, he had always been intrigued by problem-solving. In the lab, his focus was on understanding how respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infects cells. With millions of babies being hospitalized each year due to severe respiratory disease caused by RSV, Graham saw an urgent need for an effective vaccine.
Graham identified a specific form of RSV just before it infects cells as the ideal target for the immune system and worked tirelessly to stabilize it. However, before he could test his findings, the COVID-19 pandemic struck. Graham adapted his research from RSV to the new coronavirus, leading to the development of the first mRNA vaccines for COVID-19 and later a vaccine for RSV in 2023.
Graham’s groundbreaking work has not only paved the way for the development of vaccines against COVID-19 and RSV but has also opened doors for similar breakthroughs in vaccine research. As a senior advisor for global health equity and a professor at Morehouse School of Medicine, Graham continues to share his insights and expertise with researchers working on vaccines for other viruses. One such virus is human metapneumovirus, which causes respiratory illness. Thanks to Graham’s contributions, the future of vaccine development looks promising as scientists build on his discoveries to protect against a range of infectious diseases.