Top scientists announced for Channel 4’s science debate

21 April 2020

Can Science Beat The Virus?

Wednesday, 22nd April, 9pm on Channel 4

As Britain and the world increasingly look beyond politics to science for the answers on how to defeat coronavirus, Channel 4 will host a special debate with only scientists on the panel as they discuss today’s most pressing topics, such as; how long will a vaccine take? How will we make enough vaccine to give to the entire world's population? Using science how can the UK and the world safely exit lockdown?

In studio will be four preeminent scientists all working tirelessly in the fight against Covid-19. During the debate they will be joined via video link from scientists all around the UK to discuss science’s response to coronavirus. In studio will be:

Sir Paul Nurse a geneticist and cell biologist, he is the director of the Francis Crick Institute and has turned the institute into a coronavirus testing facility to assist with demand. He won 2001 Nobel Prize in Physiology/Medicine.

Professor Sunetra Gupta from University of Oxford, specialising in Theoretical Epidemiology. Sunetra is using models to understand the spread of coronavirus. She is developing new tests to study the levels of exposure and immunity to the virus in our population.  

Dr Elisabetta Groppelli is a Virologist investigating enteric viruses and developing novel and affordable vaccines from St George’s University of London. She is a seasoned epidemic responder, having led efforts to contain and eliminate Ebola in West Africa, and an expert in vaccines.

 

Professor Deenan Pillay is UCL’s Pro-Vice-Provost International and Professor of Virology. He is currently advising the government on testing and how to roll it out across the UK and is involved in Covid-19 testing at UCLH. He is a leading expert in clinical aspects of virology with an interest in in drug development against viruses.

The discussion will cover how we can mass test, how close we are to finding a vaccine and how science can hold the answers to getting out of the pandemic. This special debate will be a chance for viewers to take a deep dive into the science behind the Covid-19 outbreak.

Can Science Beat The Virus? Wednesday, 22nd April, 9pm on Channel 4

NOTES TO EDITORS

Any information taken from this release must be credited: Can Science Beat The Virus? Wednesday 22nd April, 9pm on Channel 4

Production Company: Voltage TV

Producer: Lizzie Bolton

Director: James Morgan

Execs: Sanjay Singhal; Alan Holland

Sir Paul Nurse- bio 

 

Paul Nurse is a geneticist and cell biologist whose discoveries have helped to explain how the cell controls its cycle of growth and division. Working in fission yeast, he showed that the cdc2 gene encodes a protein kinase, which ensures the cell is ready to copy its DNA and divide. Paul’s findings have broader significance since errors in cell growth and division may lead to cancer and other serious diseases. Paul’s contributions to cell biology and cancer research were recognised with a knighthood in 1999. In addition, Paul’s endeavours relating to the discovery of cell cycle regulatory molecules saw him jointly awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 2001.Over the last thirty years, Paul has held many senior research leadership roles. In 2010, he was elected as President of the Royal Society for a five-year term. Since 2011, he has been the Director and Chief Executive of the Francis Crick Institute, a London-based biomedical research institute due to open in 2015.

 

Professor Sunetra Gupta – bio

Sunetra Gupta was a Principal Investigator in the Oxford Martin Programme on Vaccines, which was part of the Oxford Martin School from 2010-2015.Professor Gupta's main area of interest is the evolution of diversity in pathogens, with particular reference to the infectious disease agents that are responsible for malaria, influenza and bacterial meningitis. She uses simple mathematical models to generate new hypotheses regarding the processes that determine the population structure of these pathogens. She works closely with laboratory and field scientists both to develop these hypotheses and to test them.

Dr Elisabetta Groppelli- bio

Dr Elisabetta Groppelli is a virologist and lecturer in global health at St George's, University of London. Her work on coronavirus will involve testing different drugs in cell cultures to assess their potency and potential in preventing and treating COVID-19. This research will shed light into the weaknesses of the virus and how they can be exploited for therapeutic intervention. Dr Groppellli previously worked with Public Health England as an in-country lead during the Ebola outbreak in West Africa in 2014-16. Before the coronavirus pandemic, Dr Groppelli was focused on understanding the biology of viruses including hepatitis A virus (HAV) and Norovirus, using this knowledge to try and develop new vaccines for these high burden diseases.

Professor Deenan Pillay- bio

Deenan Pillay is a clinical virologist and also Professor of Virology at University College London (UCL).  His education included PhD and medical degrees in the UK, and post graduate training in the US. His first consultant post was in Birmingham, where he established the national Antiviral Susceptibility Reference Laboratory.  He then moved to UCL to lead a research programme on HIV drug resistance, as well as being appointed to a Consultant Virologist post at University College London Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH).  His leadership roles have included being Infectious Diseases Programme Director for UCL Partners, and Director of the UCLH / UCL National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Centre. In 2013 he was appointed as Director of the Wellcome Trust funded Africa Centre for Population Health in northern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, focusing on HIV and TB research.  In 2016, this was refunded by the Wellcome Trust to become the Africa Health Research Institute, which now employs over 600 staff to undertake cross disciplinary research in a setting of immense health burden. He stepped down from this position in July 2019, to return to UCL.