The role of marginalised voices in producing the Covid-19 vaccine

Historically, people from marginalised backgrounds have been under-represented in STEMM sectors due to obstacles such as restricted access to professional networks and education, amongst other issues. However there are still success stories where individuals from marginalised groups play a large part in major medical breakthroughs. Think of the development of mRNA vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic, to which Kizzmekia Corbett, a black woman, made a major contribution. Her work emphasised the importance of representation and trust in modern healthcare systems.

Conventional vaccines use an inactive or weakened form of a virus to prompt the immune system to react. On the other hand, mRNA vaccines use a small piece of genetic material called mRNA, which carries the instructions for cells to produce a specific protein. In the case of COVID-19 vaccines, this protein is the spike protein found on the surface of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. 

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The mRNA is delivered into the body using lipid nanoparticles (small  particles that protect the mRNA and help it enter human cells). Once inside the cytoplasm, the mRNA is read by the cell’s protein-making machinery, the ribosomes. Helpfully, this procedure involves no entry into the cell nucleus and no alteration of the person’s DNA, as mRNA functions only in the cytoplasm and is naturally degraded after a short period. 

Once the spike protein is made, the immune system recognises it as foreign. There are two main ways that this triggers an immunological response.  First, specialised immune cells called antigen-presenting cells present fragments of the spike protein on their surface, activating T cells that help orchestrate the immune response and kill infected cells. Then, B cells are activated to make antibodies against the spike protein. If the person is exposed to the virus later, the antibodies can bind to the real virus and prevent it from infecting cells.

One of the biggest advantages of mRNA vaccines is the speed at which they can be made. With mRNA vaccines, scientists only need the virus’s genetic sequence to synthesise the mRNA, allowing vaccines to be developed much more quickly than traditional techniques. This was particularly relevant during the COVID19 pandemic, which quickly spread worldwide and required a fast scientific response. Furthermore, by altering the genetic code they contain, mRNA vaccines can be readily modified to react to new variants of a virus.

Kizzmekia Corbett was instrumental in making this approach possible. She was part of the team at the National Institutes of Health that developed a stable version of the spike protein. This stabilisation was important because it ensured that the protein maintained the correct shape needed to trigger an effective immune response. Without this design, the immune system might not recognise the virus as effectively, reducing the vaccine’s efficacy. Using years of prior coronavirus research, her work allowed scientists to act quickly when the pandemic arrived.

Kizzmekia Corbett (6.)

The impact of this development has been profound. An extraordinary feat in medical history, mRNA vaccines were made available in less than a year. They have been demonstrated to dramatically lower the incidence of COVID-19-related illness, hospitalisation, and death. 

This development has significant societal implications in addition to the scientific breakthrough itself. Historically, Black communities have experienced medical discrimination, contributing to mistrust in healthcare systems. An example is the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, in which Black men were denied treatment without their consent. The black American population’s perception of immunisation and medical research were significantly impacted by this event. 

In this context, Corbett’s visibility as a black female scientist was particularly significant. She helped foster greater knowledge and trust, particularly among communities that were disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, by making the science behind the vaccine more understandable by actively participating in explaining how the vaccine functions. Furthermore, this case illustrates a wider change in medicine where there is greater focus on communication between doctors and patients. Diverse research teams bring a wider range of perspectives, which can influence both scientific innovation and the way the scientific community engages with the public.

However, there are still issues despite this example of diversity. Systemic constraints continue to restrict possibilities in STEMM sectors, and people from marginalised backgrounds are still under-represented. However, the accomplishments of scientists like Corbett demonstrate the value of increasing diversity in medicine. It demonstrates how inclusion is a driver of scientific advancement in addition to being a matter of fairness.

Bibliography

1. Corbett KS, Edwards DK, Leist SR, Abiona OM, Boyoglu-Barnum S, Gillespie RA, et al. SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine design enabled by prototype pathogen preparedness. Nature. 2020 Aug 5;586(7830).

2. Hendaus MA, Jomha FA. mRNA Vaccines for COVID-19: A Simple Explanation. Qatar Medical Journal. 2021 Feb 18;2021(1).

3. World Health Organization. How Do Vaccines Work? [Internet]. World Health Organisation. 2025. Available from: https://www.who.int/news-room/feature-stories/detail/how-do-vaccines-work

4. Gamble VN. Under the shadow of Tuskegee: African Americans and health care. American Journal of Public Health. 1997 Nov;87(11):1773–8.

5. File:SARS-CoV-2 (CDC-23313).png - Wikimedia Commons [Internet]. Wikimedia.org. 2020 [cited 2026 Apr 29]. Available from: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SARS-CoV-2_(CDC-23313).png

6. Blocked [Internet]. Wikimedia.org. 2026 [cited 2026 Apr 29]. Available from: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kizzmekia_Corbett_portrait.jpg