Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

Professor Dame Sarah Gilbert, the Saïd Chair of Vaccinology in the Nuffield Department of Medicine has been selected to receive King Faisal Prize for Medicine for 2023, along with Professor Dan Barouch of Harvard Medical School.

Launched in 1979, the King Faisal Prize (KFP) recognizes the outstanding works of individuals and institutions in five major categories; Service to Islam, Islamic Studies, Arabic Language and Literature, Medicine, and Science. The Prize selection committees include more than 40 specialists, scientists, and public figures, from 26 different countries to examine the nominees’ works and select the laureates.

Prof Sarah Gilbert became the Oxford Project Leader for ‘ChAdOx1 nCoV-19’, a vaccine against COVID-19. This vaccine, tested by the University of Oxford in clinical trials of over 23,000 people in the UK, Brazil and South Africa, is now in use in many countries around the world in the fight against the COVID-19 Pandemic. In the novel method to develop this vaccine, Prof Gilbert and the team genetically modified a weakened version of a common virus causing cold in chimpanzees to be injected into humans without causing an infection. While entering the body cells, the virus uses a genetic code to produce the specific surface spike protein of the coronavirus, which induces an immune response and prepares the immune system to attack the coronavirus when it infects the body.

Prof Gilbert said: ‘It is a great honour to receive this award. The creation and development of the Oxford Covid-19 vaccine came after I had worked in this field for many years, learning how to move quickly from a concept to a licensed vaccine, which involves many steps along the way. With a great team at Oxford, we developed a ‘vaccine for the world’ which is now being used to save lives in many countries, which was our goal from the very beginning.’

Similar stories

Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla representatives visit Jenner Institute

Academic representatives from Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla (BUAP), one of the leading universities in Mexico, paid a visit to NDM’s Jenner Institute.

RECOVERY trial team wins the MRC Impact Prize

The Medical Research Council Prize Committee has awarded the RECOVERY trial team the MRC Impact Prize 2022 for Outstanding Team Impact.

Continued support to CPM helps it explore personalised medicine

The Dr Stanley Ho Medical Development Foundation will continue its funding support for The Centre for Personalised Medicine (CPM) for further seven years.

Shifting the needle: finding solutions for rare diseases

Rare diseases are a global health challenge. To address this, organisations around the world, including the Nuffield Department of Medicine (NDM), are working together to find solutions for patients.

Coronavirus Vaccines Research and Development Roadmap launched

The Coronavirus Vaccines Research and Development Roadmap is a comprehensive plan to galvanize a global effort to protect the world from this large and dangerous family of viruses.

Lithuanian Ambassador visits the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research

The Lithuanian Ambassador to the United Kingdom, His Excellency Mr Eitvydas Bajarūnas, paid a visit to Professor Skirmantas Kriaučionis of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research at the Nuffield Department of Medicine.