Prof. is awarded Gates Grant

Dr. Henry Daniell has brought millions of dollars into UCF's on-campus labs. Now he's drawing international attention for his pioneer work in molecular biology. The work allows vaccines to be administered orally rather than through injections; a method that increases efficiency and drives down costs.

"All current vaccines are outdated and overpriced," Daniell said. "So I thought that I'd revolutionize the whole thing—same quality but less expensive."

In his youth, Daniell remembers opening up the newspaper in his home country, India, and reading about hundreds of children dying from various diseases. As a student, he used to think that his research would one day prevent those diseases.

That day has finally come.

For over a decade, Daniell has experimented with making vaccines in capsule form. Instead of using killed or inactivated forms of viruses, Daniell uses proteins that stimulate the protective immunities in the human body. He has developed vaccines for malaria, cholera, dengue and other diseases that plague regions like Africa and Southeast Asia.

The vaccines are made by genetically engineering lettuce leaves which are dried and put into capsules. The capsules do not need refrigeration and have a longer shelf-life.

The pills are meant to be ingested, activating the immune system housed in the gut, which is more powerful than the blood's immune system. This is different from the technique of injectable vaccines because it targets the gut instead of the blood stream.

Vegetables like lettuce leaves are not easily digested and stay in the gut longer, allowing the proteins adequate time to work.

Trials on animals have proven that the ingestible vaccines are more effective than injectable ones. But moving trials from the lab, where animals are tested, to the clinic, where humans are tested, is nearly impossible without generous grants from large foundations and government organizations.

Daniell was one of thousands who applied for a grant through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The foundation has a vision to eradicate preventable diseases in all areas of the world, especially in developing nations. Its recent focus has been on the polio virus, which was once thought to be eradicated until recent severe outbreaks in West Africa and India.

The Gates Foundation invited Daniell to give a speech in Seattle, and shortly after, chose his research to receive a $800,000 grant per year for two years. This grant would allow Daniell to begin clinical trials on the vaccines.

"Taking medicine from the lab to the clinic is a costly process, sometimes over a billion dollars," Daniell said.

Daniell is working with the Food and Drug Administration and World Health Organization to begin testing people in various parts of the world. The process is expected to take about two years, which is the amount of time the grant will extend to.

Assuming the research goes well, the Gates Foundation will then assist Daniell with "phase three" of the project, which was described by Daniell as the distribution stage.

Daniell's work is assisted by many students including undergraduates, graduates and post-doctoral research associate fellows from all over the world.

Graduate student Neha Kohli, a first year biotech student, is starting a new project under Daniell's supervision.

"I find the work in this lab great, because it's a different technique that costs a lot less—this means that it can reach a larger population, including places that haven't had access to these vaccines."

Other students, such as Dheeraj Verma, a post-doctoral research associate, attribute Daniell's tireless effort and work ethic as the reasons for his success.

"It's difficult to match Dr. Daniell in terms of his commitment and time he puts into the research of this lab," Verma said. "How can you match a man who is here 24/7 and 31 days a month? He'll even come in on Christmas day—this is a hard thing to match!"