Sarah Gilbert has been studying viruses and vaccines as ways to prevent them for her entire scientific career. Building on her years of experience, Professor Gilbert was able to quickly put that knowledge to use becoming the co-developer and Project Lead for Oxford’s COVID-19 vaccine.

Once the genetic code of COVID-19 was released on 12 January 2020, scientists including Sarah Gilbert, Professor Vaccinology, at the University of Oxford, immediately set to work, on designing a vaccine. On the 6th of March 2020, the Production Team started small-scale manufacture of the Oxford team’s vaccine known as ChAdOx1 nCoV-19. After several stages of cell growth, harvesting and purification the first vials were filled on 2nd April 2020. After rigorous checks, the first volunteers were injected with the vaccine on 23 April 2020. On 30 April 2020, Oxford University signed a deal with pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca to mass-produce the vaccine. This included a clause that no profit would be made from providing the vaccine to low-income countries. Large scale clinical trials followed before the vaccine was approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) on 30th December 2020. 5 days later, Brian Pinker was the first person to receive a dose of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine. Over 3 billion doses have been delivered worldwide.

In 2021, Professor Gilbert was awarded an DBE for services to Science and Public Health, and was honoured alongside many of her colleagues. Her book ‘Vaxxers: The Inside Story of the Oxford AstraZeneca Vaccine and the Race Against the Virus’, details her work and those of the team around her.

Testing any new vaccine or medicine relies on healthy volunteers from every age range to come forward. Oxford’s COVID-19 vaccine trials recruited people from all over the United Kingdom. To help speed up the process but maintain safety controls, vaccine developers were allowed to run parts of the trial simultaneously. Known as COV001, phase 1-2 trial involved 1112 participants and COV002, phase 2-3, involved over 12000 adults.

Volunteers are given a health check including blood tests, to screen for health conditions and any immune response to COVID-19. Each person is taken through an informed consent form, ensuring they understand what the trial is and what the risks involved are. Once confirmed in the trial, the volunteer would be randomly assigned to either receive the Oxford COVID-19 vaccine or a meningitis vaccine – which acted as a control. Some minor side effects such as a sore arm, headache and fever were expected from the COVID-19 vaccine. Those in the control group had to be given something that would cause similar side effects, ensuring no-one could work out which group they were in, until the end of the trial.

Socially distanced ‘trial huts’ were built at the CCVTM’s main trial site at the Churchill Hospital, Oxford. Volunteers visited on two occasions for their vaccine doses and then for regular blood tests over the course of a year to see how well the vaccine was working. When blood samples (serum) were taken from volunteers, they were centrifuged or spun and separated into smaller pots (cryovials). Holders and pipettes are used to transfer the serum and the cells after the sample has been centrifuged. Moving samples around was also done in accordance with strict protocols to ensure the integrity of the samples. QR codes were used to track them, and temperature monitors used to ensure they remained at a testable temperature.

Volunteers were also asked to take weekly COVID-19 swab tests to assess who was infected with COVID-19, even if they had no symptoms. Each volunteer was given a kit including an emergency contact card, and a digital thermometer and a paper ruler to monitor their reaction.

Testing any new vaccine or medicine relies on healthy volunteers from every age range to come forward. Oxford’s COVID-19 vaccine trials recruited people from all over the United Kingdom. To help speed up the process but maintain safety controls, vaccine developers were allowed to run parts of the trial simultaneously. Known as COV001, phase 1-2 trial involved 1112 participants and COV002, phase 2-3, involved over 12000 adults.

ELISpot assays are used to measure functions of immune system cells, specifically T-cells, and are used throughout biological research to test newly developed vaccines and medicines.

Volunteers are given a health check including blood tests, to screen for health conditions and any immune response to COVID-19. Each person is taken through an informed consent form, ensuring they understand what the trial is and what the risks involved are. Once confirmed in the trial, the volunteer would be randomly assigned to either receive the Oxford COVID-19 vaccine or a meningitis vaccine – which acted as a control. Some minor side effects such as a sore arm, headache and fever were expected from the COVID-19 vaccine. Those in the control group had to be given something that would cause similar side effects, ensuring no-one could work out which group they were in, until the end of the trial.

Socially distanced ‘trial huts’ were built at the CCVTM’s main trial site at the Churchill Hospital, Oxford. Volunteers visited on two occasions for their vaccine doses and then for regular blood tests over the course of a year to see how well the vaccine was working. When blood samples (serum) were taken from volunteers, they were centrifuged or spun and separated into smaller pots (cryovials). Holders and pipettes are used to transfer the serum and the cells after the sample has been centrifuged. Moving samples around was also done in accordance with strict protocols to ensure the integrity of the samples. QR codes were used to track them, and temperature monitors used to ensure they remained at a testable temperature.

Volunteers were also asked to take weekly COVID-19 swab tests to assess who was infected with COVID-19, even if they had no symptoms. Each volunteer was given a kit including an emergency contact card, and a digital thermometer and a paper ruler to monitor their reaction.

Testing any new vaccine or medicine relies on healthy volunteers from every age range to come forward. Oxford’s COVID-19 vaccine trials recruited people from all over the United Kingdom. To help speed up the process but maintain safety controls, vaccine developers were allowed to run parts of the trial simultaneously. Known as COV001, phase 1-2 trial involved 1112 participants and COV002, phase 2-3, involved over 12000 adults.

ELISpot assays are used to measure functions of immune system cells, specifically T-cells, and are used throughout biological research to test newly developed vaccines and medicines.

Volunteers are given a health check including blood tests, to screen for health conditions and any immune response to COVID-19. Each person is taken through an informed consent form, ensuring they understand what the trial is and what the risks involved are. Once confirmed in the trial, the volunteer would be randomly assigned to either receive the Oxford COVID-19 vaccine or a meningitis vaccine – which acted as a control. Some minor side effects such as a sore arm, headache and fever were expected from the COVID-19 vaccine. Those in the control group had to be given something that would cause similar side effects, ensuring no-one could work out which group they were in, until the end of the trial.

Socially distanced ‘trial huts’ were built at the CCVTM’s main trial site at the Churchill Hospital, Oxford. Volunteers visited on two occasions for their vaccine doses and then for regular blood tests over the course of a year to see how well the vaccine was working. When blood samples (serum) were taken from volunteers, they were centrifuged or spun and separated into smaller pots (cryovials). Holders and pipettes are used to transfer the serum and the cells after the sample has been centrifuged. Moving samples around was also done in accordance with strict protocols to ensure the integrity of the samples. QR codes were used to track them, and temperature monitors used to ensure they remained at a testable temperature.

Volunteers were also asked to take weekly COVID-19 swab tests to assess who was infected with COVID-19, even if they had no symptoms. Each volunteer was given a kit including an emergency contact card, and a digital thermometer and a paper ruler to monitor their reaction.

Testing any new vaccine or medicine relies on healthy volunteers from every age range to come forward. Oxford’s COVID-19 vaccine trials recruited people from all over the United Kingdom. To help speed up the process but maintain safety controls, vaccine developers were allowed to run parts of the trial simultaneously. Known as COV001, phase 1-2 trial involved 1112 participants and COV002, phase 2-3, involved over 12000 adults.

ELISpot assays are used to measure functions of immune system cells, specifically T-cells, and are used throughout biological research to test newly developed vaccines and medicines.

Volunteers are given a health check including blood tests, to screen for health conditions and any immune response to COVID-19. Each person is taken through an informed consent form, ensuring they understand what the trial is and what the risks involved are. Once confirmed in the trial, the volunteer would be randomly assigned to either receive the Oxford COVID-19 vaccine or a meningitis vaccine – which acted as a control. Some minor side effects such as a sore arm, headache and fever were expected from the COVID-19 vaccine. Those in the control group had to be given something that would cause similar side effects, ensuring no-one could work out which group they were in, until the end of the trial.

Socially distanced ‘trial huts’ were built at the CCVTM’s main trial site at the Churchill Hospital, Oxford. Volunteers visited on two occasions for their vaccine doses and then for regular blood tests over the course of a year to see how well the vaccine was working. When blood samples (serum) were taken from volunteers, they were centrifuged or spun and separated into smaller pots (cryovials). Holders and pipettes are used to transfer the serum and the cells after the sample has been centrifuged. Moving samples around was also done in accordance with strict protocols to ensure the integrity of the samples. QR codes were used to track them, and temperature monitors used to ensure they remained at a testable temperature.

Volunteers were also asked to take weekly COVID-19 swab tests to assess who was infected with COVID-19, even if they had no symptoms. Each volunteer was given a kit including an emergency contact card, and a digital thermometer and a paper ruler to monitor their reaction.

Testing any new vaccine or medicine relies on healthy volunteers from every age range to come forward. Oxford’s COVID-19 vaccine trials recruited people from all over the United Kingdom. To help speed up the process but maintain safety controls, vaccine developers were allowed to run parts of the trial simultaneously. Known as COV001, phase 1-2 trial involved 1112 participants and COV002, phase 2-3, involved over 12000 adults.

Peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PMBC) separation is to isolate round white blood cells from whole blood as a way to investigate the impact of new medicines or vaccines on a person’s immune system. It can help determine doses. PMBCs make up 1% of a person’s blood so ned to be separated from plasma, red blood cells and platelets to be accurately studied.

Volunteers are given a health check including blood tests, to screen for health conditions and any immune response to COVID-19. Each person is taken through an informed consent form, ensuring they understand what the trial is and what the risks involved are. Once confirmed in the trial, the volunteer would be randomly assigned to either receive the Oxford COVID-19 vaccine or a meningitis vaccine – which acted as a control. Some minor side effects such as a sore arm, headache and fever were expected from the COVID-19 vaccine. Those in the control group had to be given something that would cause similar side effects, ensuring no-one could work out which group they were in, until the end of the trial.

Socially distanced ‘trial huts’ were built at the CCVTM’s main trial site at the Churchill Hospital, Oxford. Volunteers visited on two occasions for their vaccine doses and then for regular blood tests over the course of a year to see how well the vaccine was working. When blood samples (serum) were taken from volunteers, they were centrifuged or spun and separated into smaller pots (cryovials). Holders and pipettes are used to transfer the serum and the cells after the sample has been centrifuged. Moving samples around was also done in accordance with strict protocols to ensure the integrity of the samples. QR codes were used to track them, and temperature monitors used to ensure they remained at a testable temperature.

Volunteers were also asked to take weekly COVID-19 swab tests to assess who was infected with COVID-19, even if they had no symptoms. Each volunteer was given a kit including an emergency contact card, and a digital thermometer and a paper ruler to monitor their reaction.

Testing any new vaccine or medicine relies on healthy volunteers from every age range to come forward. Oxford’s COVID-19 vaccine trials recruited people from all over the United Kingdom. To help speed up the process but maintain safety controls, vaccine developers were allowed to run parts of the trial simultaneously. Known as COV001, phase 1-2 trial involved 1112 participants and COV002, phase 2-3, involved over 12000 adults.

Peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PMBC) separation is to isolate round white blood cells from whole blood as a way to investigate the impact of new medicines or vaccines on a person’s immune system. It can help determine doses. PMBCs make up 1% of a person’s blood so ned to be separated from plasma, red blood cells and platelets to be accurately studied.

Volunteers are given a health check including blood tests, to screen for health conditions and any immune response to COVID-19. Each person is taken through an informed consent form, ensuring they understand what the trial is and what the risks involved are. Once confirmed in the trial, the volunteer would be randomly assigned to either receive the Oxford COVID-19 vaccine or a meningitis vaccine – which acted as a control. Some minor side effects such as a sore arm, headache and fever were expected from the COVID-19 vaccine. Those in the control group had to be given something that would cause similar side effects, ensuring no-one could work out which group they were in, until the end of the trial.

Socially distanced ‘trial huts’ were built at the CCVTM’s main trial site at the Churchill Hospital, Oxford. Volunteers visited on two occasions for their vaccine doses and then for regular blood tests over the course of a year to see how well the vaccine was working. When blood samples (serum) were taken from volunteers, they were centrifuged or spun and separated into smaller pots (cryovials). Holders and pipettes are used to transfer the serum and the cells after the sample has been centrifuged. Moving samples around was also done in accordance with strict protocols to ensure the integrity of the samples. QR codes were used to track them, and temperature monitors used to ensure they remained at a testable temperature.

Volunteers were also asked to take weekly COVID-19 swab tests to assess who was infected with COVID-19, even if they had no symptoms. Each volunteer was given a kit including an emergency contact card, and a digital thermometer and a paper ruler to monitor their reaction.

Testing any new vaccine or medicine relies on healthy volunteers from every age range to come forward. Oxford’s COVID-19 vaccine trials recruited people from all over the United Kingdom. To help speed up the process but maintain safety controls, vaccine developers were allowed to run parts of the trial simultaneously. Known as COV001, phase 1-2 trial involved 1112 participants and COV002, phase 2-3, involved over 12000 adults.

Volunteers are given a health check including blood tests, to screen for health conditions and any immune response to COVID-19. Each person is taken through an informed consent form, ensuring they understand what the trial is and what the risks involved are. Once confirmed in the trial, the volunteer would be randomly assigned to either receive the Oxford COVID-19 vaccine or a meningitis vaccine – which acted as a control. Some minor side effects such as a sore arm, headache and fever were expected from the COVID-19 vaccine. Those in the control group had to be given something that would cause similar side effects, ensuring no-one could work out which group they were in, until the end of the trial.

Socially distanced ‘trial huts’ were built at the CCVTM’s main trial site at the Churchill Hospital, Oxford. Volunteers visited on two occasions for their vaccine doses and then for regular blood tests over the course of a year to see how well the vaccine was working. When blood samples (serum) were taken from volunteers, they were centrifuged or spun and separated into smaller pots (cryovials). Holders and pipettes are used to transfer the serum and the cells after the sample has been centrifuged. Moving samples around was also done in accordance with strict protocols to ensure the integrity of the samples. QR codes were used to track them, and temperature monitors used to ensure they remained at a testable temperature.

Volunteers were also asked to take weekly COVID-19 swab tests to assess who was infected with COVID-19, even if they had no symptoms. Each volunteer was given a kit including an emergency contact card, and a digital thermometer and a paper ruler to monitor their reaction.