Biomedical Sciences BSc Honours graduate Dr Mustapha Bittaye, who was one of the core scientists who worked on the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, spoke to Westminster’s alumni Magazine ‘Network’ about his journey to creating a life-saving vaccine.
In the interview, Dr Bittaye recalls how long before he knew he wanted to be a scientist he always knew he wanted to find a way to help his community in The Gambia, where he grew up. This early driver, alongside a desire to excel in everything he does, has taken centre stage throughout his studies and his career.
As one of the key scientists involved in the development of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, Dr Bittaye has helped remind everyone precisely how transformational vaccines can be. At the time he spoke to Network in early July, the UK was preparing for a reopening that would not have been made possible without the AstraZeneca and other COVID-19 vaccines. While vaccination rates vary in other parts of the world, addressing the disparity between the developed world and lower and middle income countries has been a central concern for Dr Bittaye throughout his career.
He said: “I’m proud of the team that has developed a vaccine that is not just for the developed world…When we were developing the technology that we’re using, we had in mind people in other parts of the world – in lower and middle-income countries – because they are the people who, most of the time, suffer most from disease and also, mostly, they are the people who are left behind when it comes to benefiting from the vaccines that science and technology give us.”
Dr Bittaye’s own family in The Gambia received the vaccine he helped to create and the day his mother was vaccinated was “amazing”, he said.
Talking to Network about misinformation and vaccine hesitancy, Dr Bittaye said: “Even if the science is real, do you trust the person telling you the information? This is something I realise as a scientist, but also as a human. As a community, in general, it’s something we need to work on. It’s not just about what the science can offer – it’s also about engaging with communities.”
He speaks about how he has seen a real improvement during the pandemic in the way scientists communicate and deal with people’s concerns. He also feels the vaccines have, to some extent, done the talking for them – as people can see with their own eyes how effective they truly are.
Dr Bittaye enrolled in the University of Westminster’s Diploma in Biomedical Science in 2007 – a programme Westminster offered remotely, in collaboration with the Medical Research Council. After finishing top of the course, Dr Bittaye won a scholarship for Westminster’s Biomedical Sciences BSc Honours course – and so he arrived in London in 2009.
He said: “I thank the University of Westminster for giving me that opportunity. I always say without the opportunity that Westminster gave me, without the potential that they saw in me, giving me that scholarship to come to the UK to follow my career – you know – things would have been different.
“The environment there was the perfect environment for any student coming from abroad to thrive…The diversity in the campus, the friendliness of the tutors, you know, the lecturers, the openness of the University – the support they offer to students – it was wonderful.”
In the interview he also explains how his experience at Westminster helped build his confidence and self-belief and how this is often half the battle for Black Africans, like himself, pursuing big dreams.
Dr Bittaye has taken part in Westminster mentoring schemes. He also co-founded Health and Science for Gambia, a non-profit that aims to encourage young Gambians to pursue careers in biomedical science, through career coaching and mentoring.
After graduating top in his BSc at Westminster in 2012, Dr Bittaye returned to the MRC Gambia as a Scientific Officer, where he worked on the 2013 malaria drug trial. He completed his PhD at Aberdeen University in 2018 and joined The Jenner Institute soon afterwards. As a world-leading vaccine research institute, he explains how it was his ultimate goal to work there and its humanitarian focus was also very important to him. Upon joining, he worked on the world-leading SARS vaccine clinical trials, followed by the COVID-19 vaccine programme which began its rollout in January 2021.
Read the full interview in Network Magazine on the Issuu website.
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