After COVID-19¡¯s emergence in Buenos Aires led to a strict lockdown in March, Juliana Cassataro and her fellow vaccine researchers grew concerned. The U.S., Europe and China had already revved up their quests to obtain shots; how far back in line would Argentina have to wait for supplies?
¡°We did not want to stay in our homes,¡± said Cassataro, a scientist at the National University of San Martin in the nation¡¯s capital. ¡°We wanted to use our knowledge to help in this pandemic.¡±
Determined to give Latin America its own protection from the fast-spreading virus, Cassataro¡¯s team ¡ª 10 women and two men ¡ª quickly got to work. A government grant of $100,000 in May paid for initial studies, and human trials could start in about six months.
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