Experts reveal their ‘secret weapon’ to assist the UK struggle towards the subsequent pandemic

Experts have recruited some very unconventional technology to help prepare against the next potential pandemic – but it’s efficient when it comes to cost and incredibly eco-friendly

Experts have unveiled their ‘secret weapon’ to help protect the UK against the threat of future pandemics.

Scientists at UCL alongside experts at Birmingham, Teesside and Heriot-Watt Universities have recently come together under a scheme named, Resilience, to help prepare, train and grow the UK’s medication manufacturing workforce.

Professor Gary Lye, Professor of Biochemical Engineer at UCL, noted during Covid, it became apparent that the UK had to be resilient in its ability to manufacture new and emerging medicines like vaccines, gene and cell therapies. Lye does not beat around the bush and is unequivocal in affirming the Covid-19 pandemic led to an increased focus on vaccines, gene and cell therapies. He said: “From these lessons we learnt from Covid the Resilience program was founded.”

However, this scheme strives to use a very unique way to encourage people to take up careers and to train people. As the Resilience scheme utilises a fleet of VR headsets to use virtual reality simulations to both train people in the field and inspire the next generation.

Lye explained the nature of the Resilience program categorising it into two parts, the professor said: “So the VR on one end is inspiring people and the other end is teaching people the techniques and ways of working that are required to manufacture these medicines.

The professor noted: “The idea is really about training the current and the next generation of people who are going to work in the medicines manufacturing sector and nothing highlighted the importance of this more than what we saw during Covid.

“We need to train people how to make the traditional medicines but there’s also need to train people in these new therapeutics which are now coming through.”

Lye noted the program is also massively efficient when it comes to cost and incredibly eco-friendly.

“There’s also a big sustainability metric as well.” Professor Lye breaks down how training people in VR simulation are incredibly cost effective and explains some of the maths behind the scheme.

He added: “It would cost about £2,000 per bioreactor, per person, if you had to do this three times to learn, that would be £6,000 and three lots of single-use plastic. Whereas if you do this twice in virtual reality… you’re saving two-thirds of your costs plus you’re reducing on you’re sort of environmental impact of the training. So we think that VR has some real advantages.”

The work the Resilience program does in schools is focused on inspiring children – from sixth-form students to infants – by showing them the work people in the life science fields do in the lab and showing them what it looks like on the cellular level with simulations.

Lye noted it is rare for most children to have the opportunity to go into a manufacturing suite and get an understanding of what experts do in a lab environment. However, with the magic of modern technology children can now pop a headset on and can be be transported into clinic to see how these things are done in the laboratory.

Doctor Lye noted the reaction from children is amazing to watch and the program truly is a massive innovation on how we can use new technology to complete revolutionary teaching and training in this field.

To find out more about the Resilience program click here.