\
Dr. Ronald J. Eby,
PhD.
Scientist - Inventor
Developer of the vaccine
“Prevnar®”
Dr. Ronald Eby is a renowned researcher who has helped
safeguard the health of children worldwide by developing
vaccines formulated specifically for children.
First Cousin of Merle G Ladd
Dr. Ronald J. Eby, Ph.D.
Scientist - Inventor - Developer of the vaccine
"Prevnar®"
Dr. Ronald Eby is a renowned researcher who
has helped safeguard the health of children
worldwide by developing vaccines formulated
specifically for children. Eby’s work in the field
began in 1965, when he enrolled at State
University
of
New
York
College
of
Environmental Science and Forestry [SUNYESF] [2] as a chemistry major. “I was
interested in medicine, especially in medical
research. I got hooked on carbohydrate
chemistry because of the medical possibilities,”
Eby said.
Upon leaving SUNY-ESF, Eby went to work
with Praxis Biologics in Rochester, N.Y., where
he and his team, Dr. Dace V. Madore, Ph.D.
and Dr. Velupillai Puvanesarajah, Ph.D., went
to work developing a vaccine, Prevnar®, [1]
which would become the most efficacious
vaccine ever developed. According to the
World
Health
Organization,
before
the
introduction of Prevnar, more than 1 million
deaths of children under the age of 5 were
blamed on the Streptococcus pneumoniae
disease that Prevnar has all but eliminated.
Fifteen years in the making, and millions of
doses of Prevnar later, the combined efforts of
the three scientists and their teams have led
to a great advance in child health. Since it
became available in 2000, Prevnar® has been
called, "one of the most important advances in
pediatric medicine," having systematically
removed the risk of S. pneumoniae infections
Streptococcus Pneumoniae
Streptococcus
pneumoniae
bacteria naturally exist in the
nasopharynx, located in the
back of the nose. According to
the
Centers
for
Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC),
it causes infection when it
escapes from the nasopharynx
to other parts of the body,
including the ears, lungs and
bloodstream. Although it does
not cause any diseases where
it naturally exists, it can cause
ear infections, sinus infections,
pneumonia or meningitis if it
spreads to other parts of the
body. Collectively, these types
of
infections
are
called
invasive
pneumoccocal
disease.
Pediatric Pneumonia
Pneumonia
is
a
serious
condition that can occur at any
age, but children are likely to
get the disease after exposure
to impurities and bacteria that
can make their way to the
lungs.
Older
infants
and
toddlers will likely develop a
fever as a sign of pediatric
pneumonia. This spike in body
temperature causes fatigue,
and many children don’t feel
like eating since it requires
energy and can sometimes
in children.
In the 1980s and 1990s, thousands of cases of
pediatric pneumonia and millions of ear
infections worldwide were still being caused by
Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria. The
bacteria, which come in seven main forms, are
also
responsible
for
other
devastating
childhood infections, like meningitis (infection
of the brain and spinal cord lining) and
bacteremia (dangerous blood infection). Left
untreated, these infections can lead to
permanent organ damage and even death.
According to the World Health Organization,
one million deaths worldwide in children 5
years and younger were linked to S.
pneumoniae infection each year prior to
approval of Prevnar in 2000. Since then it has
all but wiped out invasive pneumoccal disease
in young children, preventing 12,700 cases in
the U.S. in 2002 alone.
The development of Prevnar® is the
culmination of a 15-year effort beginning with
Dr. Ronald J. Eby working in his lab at Praxis
Biologics (now part of Pfizer Inc.) in Rochester,
NY. Dr. Eby knew that he would need to
develop new techniques to make a vaccine
that would work in the undeveloped immune
systems
of
infants.
Available
vaccine
technology would only allow him to create a
vaccine that would work in adults for this
condition. The key was to change the vaccine
in some way to be effective in children.
Most vaccines work by tricking the immune
system into thinking that a real infection is
taking place, even though it is not. Then when
the person is exposed to that illness again, the
immune system is already activated and ready
to fend it off. Dr. Eby had to find a substance
make
chest
pain
worse.
Adolescents and older children
who suffer from pediatric
pneumonia may have fever as
well, which often accompnies a
cough and severe dehydration.
Using a cold compress can
lower
body
temperature;
bathing your child in a cool
bath may also relieve fever.
Meningitis
Meningitis is an inflammation
of the meninges, which are
membranes that line the brain
and spinal cord. This condition
is typically caused by an
infection, and is seen mainly in
children, teenagers and young
adults. Older adults are also at
risk for developing meningitis
if they've experienced longterm health issues. Meningitis
is highly contagious and can
be passed on from one person
to another through close
contact. Meningitis may also
be
caused
by
certain
medications
and
other
organisms, although this is
quite rare.
Bacteremia
Bacteremia
occurs
when
bacteria
enter
the
bloodstream. This may occur
through a wound or infection,
or
through
a
surgical
procedure
or
injection.
Bacteremia may cause no
symptoms and resolve without
treatment, or it may produce
fever and other symptoms of
infection. In some cases,
bacteremia leads to septic
shock,
a
potentially
lifethreatening condition.
that would stimulate a strong enough immune
response in the immature system of an infant
to safeguard from future infection.
Existing vaccine technologies used the outer coat of bacteria to trigger an
immune response from the body. Dr. Eby used this approach but linked a
protein to the bacteria's outer coat that could be recognized by an infant's
immune system.
The catch was that S. pneumoniae comes in seven main forms, so Dr. Eby
had to create a separate compound for each of these and roll all of them
into one seven-part vaccine.
Dr. Eby and his team produced numerous candidate vaccines that had the
potential to be recognized by the infant immune system and provide
protection against infection. Each one had to be carefully tested. [3]
The impact of the vaccine on child health has been dramatic. The
development of this type of vaccine has "represented the greatest vaccine
breakthrough of the late 20th century," according to Jeffrey Baker and
Samuel Katz of Duke University Medical Center.
For these advancements in pediatric medicine, Eby
received the National Medal of Technology, the nation’s
highest honor for technological innovation. The award
was bestowed by President Bush at the White House in
July 2007. [4]
“Some might say we were lucky in discovering, scaling
up and manufacturing the Prevnar® vaccine,” Eby said
after the White House award ceremony. “But as the
Roman philosopher Seneca said, ‘Luck is what happens when preparation
meets opportunity.’”
Dr. Eby and his team were honored Sept. 7 at the American Chemical
Society's 226th national meeting in New York City. They were named
Heroes of Chemistry by the American Chemical Society, the world's largest
scientific society, for developing Prevnar®, the first and only combined
vaccine to help protect infants and young children against invasive
pneumococcal disease. "The broad range of invaluable products that our
Heroes of Chemistry have developed and commercialized has dramatically
advanced the health, well-being and lifestyles of children around the world,"
said ACS President Elsa Reichmanis, Ph.D. "The chemical advances made by
the honorees serve as testimonials to the valuable role chemists and
chemical engineers play in improving lives. It is with pride that the ACS
recognizes them as Heroes of Chemistry." [5]
[1] Pfizer Inc, Prevnar ®, Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV)
[2] State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry [SUNYESF], Career and Graduate School Options, Ronald J Eby, Chemistry, B.S. '69, Ph.D. '74
[3] Innovation.org, discovering new medicines for better lives and a brighter future, The
story of Prevnar®, Ronald J Eby, Ph.D.
[4] State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry [SUNYESF], Success Stories, Ronald J Eby, Ph.D.
[5] Science Blog, August 2003, Wyeth chemists honored for Prevnar® first combined
pneumococcal vaccine for infants, Ronald J Eby, Ph.D.