RDIF and the Gamaleya Center announce creation of International scientific advisory board on Sputnik V vaccine represented by leading scientists from 9 countries

RDIF and the Gamaleya Center announce creation of
International scientific advisory board on Sputnik V vaccine
represented by leading scientists from 9 countries

Moscow, January 18, 2021 – The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF, Russia’s sovereign wealth fund) and The National Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology named after N.F. Gamaleya (Gamaleya Center) announce the creation of an International Scientific Advisory Board on the Sputnik V vaccine – the world’s first registered vaccine against coronavirus.

Leading scientists in virology, microbiology, genetics and biotechnology from Argentina, Croatia, France, Germany, India, Russia, Sweden, UK and USA, representing top research and medical centers, have joined the Board.

The list of participants of the International scientific advisory board on Sputnik V vaccine:

1.       Carlos Zala, Adjunct Professor, Department of Microbiology, University of Buenos Aires, School of Medicine, Argentina;

2.       Omar Sued, President of the society of infectologists, Argentina;

3        Dragomira Majhen, Ph.D., Scientist, Laboratory for Cell Biology and Signalling Division of Molecular Biology Ruđer Bošković Instiute, Croatia

4.       Cecil Czerkinsky, PhD, M.D., Research Director, Institute of Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology, France

5.       Wibke Bayer, Ph.D., Principal Investigator on Vaccine Development, the Institute for Virology of the University Hospital in Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, Germany;

6.       Vasanthapuram Ravi, MBBS, M.D. Microbiology, Dean, Basic Sciences, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), India;

7.       Niklas Arnberg, Professor of Virology, Umeå University, Chairman, Swedish Society for Virology, Sweden;

8.       David Livermore, Professor of Medical Microbiology at the University of East Anglia, UK;

9.       Len Seymour, Professor of Gene Therapies, President of the British Society for Gene and Cell Therapy, UK;

10.     Hildegund C.J. Ertl, M.D., Professor, Vaccine & Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, USA;

11.     Ronald Rodriguez, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Urology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, USA;

12.     David A. Ornelles, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Microbiology & Immunology, Wake Forest School of Medicine Biotech Place, USA;

13.     Alexander Gintsburg, RAS Academician, Professor, Director of the Gamaleya Center;

14.     Denis Logunov, RAS Corresponding Member, Doctor of Biological Sciences, Deputy Director for Science of the Gamaleya Center;

15.     Sergey Tsarenko, Professor, Faculty of Medicine, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Deputy Chief Physician for Anesthesiology and Reanimation at Hospital No. 52 in Moscow;

16.     Alexander Rumyantsev, President of Dmitry Rogachev National Research Center, RAS Academician, M.D., Professor.

Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, said:

“RDIF and the Gamaleya Center initiated the creation of the International Scientific Advisory Board on the Sputnik V vaccine and the formation of an international platform where vaccine developers could exchange information, opinions and expertise with their leading foreign colleagues. This scientific exchange has become especially in demand due to the pandemic of the new coronavirus infection, a global problem that has stimulated the pooling of the entire global scientific and research potential. We are grateful to all the experts who accepted our offer and joined the Board. An international partnership, including on the coronavirus vaccine, is the key to the ultimate victory and proves once again that the noble goal of saving lives has no boundaries.”

Sputnik V has a number of key advantages:

·        Efficacy of Sputnik V is over 90%, with full protection against severe cases of COVID-19.

·        The Sputnik V vaccine is based on a proven and well-studied platform of human adenoviral vectors, which cause the common cold and have been around for thousands of years.

·        Sputnik V uses two different vectors for the two shots in a course of vaccination, providing immunity with a longer duration than vaccines using the same delivery mechanism for both shots.

·        The safety, efficacy and lack of negative long-term effects of adenoviral vaccines have been proven by more than 250 clinical studies over two decades.

·        Over 1.5mn people have already been vaccinated with Sputnik V.

·        The developers of the Sputnik V vaccine are working collaboratively with AstraZeneca on a joint clinical trial to improve the efficacy of AstraZeneca vaccine.

·        The Sputnik V vaccine has been approved in Russia, Belarus, Serbia, Argentina, Bolivia, Algeria, Palestine, Venezuela and Paraguay; the process to approve the vaccine in the EU has been initiated.

·        There are no strong allergies caused by Sputnik V.

·        The storage temperature of Sputnik V at +2+8 C means it can be stored in a conventional refrigerator without any need to invest in additional cold-chain infrastructure.

·        The price of Sputnik V is less than $10 per shot, making it affordable around the world.