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--- robin_robinson [2023/10/17 19:45]
pamela [Robin Robinson]
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pamela [COVID mRNA Contract Awards]
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 ===== Robin Robinson =====
-{{::robin_robinson_2007_award_pic_.png?400|}}
+==== Awards Creating PREP Act - Avian & Swine Flu Vaccines ====
+{{::robin_robinson_2009_award_pic_.png?200|}}
+Led the development of the first avian influenza [[:H5N1]] vaccine—cited as the #3 medical breakthrough of 2007 by TIME magazine.
+When news of the recent [[:swine flu]] outbreak hit, a lot of people raised questions about our government’s preparedness to deal with such a threat and whether or not the presidential transition, which has created several vacancies in key leadership posts, left the American people particularly vulnerable.
+The reality is that our government is in a much better position to deal with this type of risk than it was a few short years ago, and one big reason is the [[:Biomedical Advanced Research Development Authority]] (BARDA). The man who runs and practically singlehandedly built this office is Dr. Robin Robinson.
+“Our way of thinking and doing business has completely changed. In the past, government and industry were timid. After Katrina, we saw what can happen if you don’t prepare properly for a disaster. We now leave no stone unturned. That approach permeates every aspect of our work, from the stockpiling of vaccines to the R&D,” said Dr. Robinson.
+Tucked away within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), **BARDA provides an integrated, systematic approach to the development and purchase** of the necessary vaccines, drugs, therapies and diagnostic tools for public health medical emergencies.
+Barely five years old, BARDA has already made significant achievements under Dr. Robinson’s leadership. In particular, this unit led the development of a vaccine for the strain of bird flu that has killed more than 200 people since 2003.
+[[:TIME]] magazine recognized this discovery as the third most significant medical breakthrough of 2007. Dr. Robinson’s team also established a **pandemic influenza vaccine stockpile for at least 20 million people** two years ahead of schedule, and it has plans to expand this stockpile to include 150 million doses.
+Looking forward, the establishment of this office now means our government can hit the ground running when it comes to developing treatments for outbreaks like the swine flu.
+**Congress created this new office as part of the Pandemic Flu and All Hazards Preparedness Act of 2004. Dr. Robinson was recruited from private industry to help start the office.
+**
+“I was asked to head the pandemic influenza work after I had already worked to develop a number of vaccines in the private sector. I felt that I could make more of a difference in the public sector with the resources provided,” said Dr. Robinson.
+“When he started, he was an army of one,” said Dr. [[:Noreen Hynes]] of [[:Johns Hopkins]] Medical Center, who was Dr. Robinson’s supervisor at HHS from April 2005 to December 2006. “All of the initial accomplishments were just Robin: sending out the request for proposals, setting up the review panels, putting out the requests for information.”
+Congress would eventually appropriate billions to support Dr. Robinson’s work on the [[:avian flu vaccine]]. He quickly used these new resources to build out his internal team. He also succeeded in convincing private research firms to join in this effort.
+Dr. Gerald Parker, a deputy assistant secretary at HHS who recommended Dr. Robinson for his current job, cites a variety of factors for Dr. Robinson’s success. “Obstacles always present themselves, especially in the medical vaccine and all hazards medicine industry. Dr. Robinson displays agility and flexibility to listen to other views and incorporates them into a path forward,” said Parker. “His commitment to the team effort is also critical to the success they have achieved.”
+Nobody sings Robin Robinson’s praises more loudly than his current supervisor, [[:William Vanderwagen]], who is the **Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response** at HHS. “Robin Robinson sacrificed personal gain in the [[:pharmaceutical industry]] to pursue public service. His dedication to the public health medical emergency preparedness mission has inspired both older and younger colleagues from industry, academia and government to join him at BARDA.”
+With Robin Robinson on the job and others following his lead, the American public can feel better knowing that our government is more prepared than ever to deal with public health emergencies.((https://web.archive.org/web/20200815110327/https://servicetoamericamedals.org/honorees/robin-robinson/))
 ==== Congressional Witness Bio Pandemic Influenza Expert ====
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 Esperovax is a **cutting-edge vaccine company** dedicated to developing innovative oral mRNA-based vaccines and therapeutics. The company is committed to advancing the science of medicine to **help people live healthier, happier lives**. For more information, please visit Esperovax.com. SOURCE Esperovax ((https://web.archive.org/web/20231009024154/https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/esperovax-appoints-dr-robin-robinson-as-president-and-ceo-301811159.html))
+==== Pandemic Related H1N1 - H5N1 Response Teams ====
+{{ ::global_virome_project_dennis_carroll_usatd_h5n1_pandemic_.png?600|}}
+See Global Virome Project - Ecohealth Alliance and Dr. [[:Dennis Carroll]] Director of the U.S. Agency for International Development's (USAID's) Pandemic Influenza and other Emerging Threats Unit. In this position, he led [[:USAID]]'s Emerging Pandemic Threats program, a global effort to combat new disease threats before they can become significant threats to human health. Dennis was responsible for providing strategic and operational leadership for the agency's programs addressing new and emerging disease threats, which has included leading the agency's response to the [[:H5N1]] **avian influenza and H1N1 pandemic** viral threats.  ((https://www.campfire.wiki/doku.php?id=global_virome_project&s[]=h5n1))
+==== COVID mRNA Contract Awards ====
+{{ ::esperovax_robin_robinson_2023_contract_mrna_covid.png?400|}}
+PLYMOUTH, Mich., Oct. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- [[:Esperovax]], a U.S.-based preclinical biopharmaceutical company and a [[:BLUE KNIGHT]]™ resident company, is receiving an award for $ 1 M to further develop a **yeast-based oral COVID-19 RNA vaccine** candidate as part of the BLUE KNIGHT™ QuickFire Challenge: Accelerating [[:Project NextGen]].
+This award will support critical studies aimed at demonstrating vaccine safety and immunoprotection in **orally vaccinated animals** challenged with different [[:COVID-19]] virus variants. Esperovax is collaborating with Dr. [[:Slobodan Paessler]] at the [[:University of Texas]] Medical Branch – Galveston to conduct these studies.
+Blue Knight, a joint initiative between [[:Johnson & Johnson]] Innovation – JLABS (JLABS) and the [[:Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority]] (BARDA), collaborates with companies to accelerate innovation against emerging health security threats.
+"This award enables animal challenge studies that may determine whether our unique oral COVID-19 [[:RNA vaccine]] elicits protective immunity that prevents disease and reduces virus dissemination and affords completion of other requisite studies supportive of an Investigational New Drug application for future clinical evaluation," stated Dr. Robin Robinson, President and Chief Executive Officer. "Positive results from these studies have the potential to bring inexpensive, safe and long-lasting effective oral vaccines a step closer to address public health threats like COVID-19 and other emerging infectious diseases."
+About Esperovax: Esperovax was founded in 2019 to advance development of its Egress RD™ oral [[:mRNA]] platform, a transformative technology for delivering [[:mRNA vaccines]] to the abundant populations of immune cells in the gastrointestinal tract via a small oral capsule.
+For more information, please visit our web site at www.esperovax.com((https://web.archive.org/web/20231009024444/https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/esperovax-awarded-1m-for-development-of-an-oral-covid-19-rna-vaccine-under-the-hhs-project-nextgen-initiative-301945741.html))