Prof Teresa Lambe stresses need for inter-pandemic research

At the Clongowes event are Yvonne Nolan, Head of Science, Clongowes Wood College; Glenda Groome, chair of the college PA; Prof Teresa Lambe; the Rector of Clongowes, Fr Sheil, and the Headmaster, Chris Lumb.

The need to generate information on potentially dangerous viruses in between pandemics was a key element of a talk by Kilcullen-born Professor Teresa Lambe, when she gave the inaugural Fr Sheil People for Others Honorary Address at Clongowes Wood College, writes Brian Byrne. The event was in conjunction with the college's Science Department and was established as a living tribute to the Rector of the College, Fr Sheil's lifelong dedication to education.

Under the title of Lessons I learned from a pandemic, Prof Lambe, co-developer of the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, discussed the importance of vaccines in general, particularly current major pathogens of concern. Many are concentrated in Africa, the Middle East and Asia; at least one, Marburg, is already found in Germany and Serbia. She compared the typical development process of a vaccine, taking 5-10 years, to how quickly the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine was designed, tested and made ready for licensing. As a result, the 'new' development process can now take less than a year.

Noting that the vaccine she co-designed was the one with the greatest global reach, of 170 countries, during the COVID-19 pandemic, she reminded those at the talk that over 3 billion doses had been released to more than 180 countries, and an estimated 6 million lives had been saved by it. She described the importance of communication in gaining acceptance of a vaccine during a pandemic, touching on the dangers of misinformation. Referencing a report commissioned in 2021 that offered recommendations to enable preparedness for response to the next pandemic, she said there are 25 viral families known to affect people.

Prof Lambe emphasised the importance of virus investigators partnering early with pharmaceutical companies, and that global collaboration is the key to being prepared for the next pandemic event.

Professor Lambe was invited to give the inaugural address by the Head of the college's Science Department, Yvonne Nolan, who had been a classmate of hers in Kilcullen's Cross and Passion College. The evening brought together a diverse audience of scientists, educationalists, parents, and students.

Glenda Groome, chair of the Clongowes Parents Association, thanked Prof Lambe for sharing her insights and experiences, which she said had brought vividly to life what it means to be a person of others. "You have reminded us that real success is not measured by accolades but by the impact we have on others," she said. It was particularly fitting, she said, that her contribution inaugurated the Fr Sheil People for Others Honorary Address.

Last May, Prof Lambe gave the Commencement Address to the Graduate School Class of 2025 at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, USA. In CPC Kilcullen, a Tess Lambe Bursary is sponsored by the Board of Management, along with the local community and the sisters of the Cross & Passion. It is applicable to female students in Leaving Certificate classes who are studying any STEM subject at third level. Since it was established in 2021, five students of CPC have received it.

(This article was first published in the Kildare Nationalist.)

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