A Virologist Talks Vaccine Research & Thailand's Scientific Street Cred [S5.E71]

In the last episode of Season 5, Greg interviews Samaporn
Teeravechyan, also known as Dr. Joy. Dr. Joy works at the
National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology,
essentially the arm of the Thai government that focuses on
scientific research. She explains that her expertise is in
virology, and that she received her Phd in the United States
after moving around the world as a child. Currently, Dr. Joy's
focus is on the development of a nasal vaccine for
COVID-19.


Greg asks Dr. Joy why Thailand is not particularly well
known for scientific research and that leads to an extensive
discussion of the issue. First, although things have gotten
better, the total amount of funding for research and development
provided by the Thai government is significantly less than in
Western countries. Second, to make matters even worse, her field
relies on specimens and materials only available in the U.S., and
due to transportation and customs costs, Thai labs have to pay
more. Add to that all the delays involved, even though
virological research is often very time sensitive. Last,
Thailand's political instability makes funding even more
uncertain, so you can clearly see the types of obstacles Thai
researchers face compared to more developed
countries. 


Next, Greg questions Dr. Joy about the specifics of her
current research on an intra-nasal vaccine for COVID-19, and why
such a vaccine may prove superior to the current ones on the
market. The two finish off their discussion with a few very
exciting and promising lines of research currently being
conducted in labs funded by the Thai government. 


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