Crossing scientific frontiers
Space exploration and the discovery of new medicines often involve a leap into the dark – as Dr Moncef Slaoui, GSK chairman of global vaccines, and former astronaut Gregory H Johnson, acknowledged when the two met during the latest GSK Open Series.
We can learn more about how to live on Earth by going outside the Earth,” said Dr Moncef Slaoui, GSK chairman of global vaccines and leader in bioelectronics, speaking at the latest conversation in the GSK Open Series at the Nasa Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida.
Dr Slaoui and former astronaut Gregory H Johnson were discussing similarities in the exploration of space and science – and recognised that in both fields, the biggest leaps in knowledge can only come when an “unknown unknown” is discovered.
Johnson piloted the Endeavour space shuttle in 2008 and 2011, and is now president and executive director of the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS).
“When we conduct experiments on the International Space Station (ISS), we’re expecting the real discovery to be an unknown unknown: something that nobody can predict,” he said.
Dr Slaoui noted this was often the scenario in the search for a new medicine. “A new medicine is an unknown unknown,” he said. “Taking a person to the Moon is an unbelievably complex feat to achieve – but it is the assembly of many knowns.
“Discovering a new medicine, going through that science, is going into complete darkness,” he continued. “That is a bit like jumping into the darkness of space.”
At GSK, Dr Slaoui tried to ensure that scientists were confident enough to make that leap. “One of the things I find fascinating is how to create the conditions for scientists to feel comfortable enough to go for the left-field hypothesis,” he said.
“That is where I think we will find the next real breakthrough, rather than the next iteration of something that is already known.”
Johnson explained that the ISS had two purposes: one to discover more about the effects of long-term space travel on the human body [in preparation for a trip to Mars and other planets in deep space], and the second to conduct experiments that cannot be carried out on Earth.
For 30 hours a week, the six astronauts on board carry out research, testing hypotheses for scientists who collaborate with CASIS.
“As astronauts we are guinea pigs, and they are analysing our bodies and the changes that occur,” said Johnson. “There are changes that take place in a space flight. Bones degenerate about 2 per cent a month – and without countermeasures, muscles degrade and our fluids shift, our genes express differently and, in some cases, our immune systems change.”
He also grew 4.2cm during his flights, which led to problems with his neck. Johnson explained that he had to press down on his head with his arm to deal with the issue while he was in space. “As I always wanted to be 6ft, I liked the extra height, but once I was back on Earth I shrank back to my normal height,” he joked.
Dr Slaoui said that his interest in vaccines was triggered by the tragic death of his baby sister from a vaccine-preventable disease when she was just six months old. He has spent much of his career at GSK working on the malaria vaccine.
When Dr Slaoui heard about the candidate vaccine’s effectiveness while driving on a family holiday, he admitted he was so overcome with emotion that he had to park and sit quietly. “Having seen the hypotheses of a vaccine become a reality was an incredible moment,” he said.
But discovering a new medicine is also incredibly difficult. Only 6 per cent of experimental research produces a medicine that helps people. Dr Slaoui believes that finding a drug is often down to educated intuition. “When linked to knowledge and experience, this would lead a scientist to explore a particular pathway or protein when looking for a treatment for a heart condition or other diseases,” he said.
Both Dr Slaoui and Johnson discussed the many failures that are inevitable in exploring both space and medicine, and how it is important to learn from experiments that fail. “It’s a big challenge in drug discovery,” acknowledged Dr Slaoui.
“The famous quote in the space world is that failure is not an option,” continued Johnson. “But there are many opportunities for failure, which we then have to overcome and learn from. At the ISS we start working on one hypothesis and if it does not work we will change direction.”
Dr Slaoui said he felt his job was to inspire his team of scientists, who have come to work every day for 20 years to carry out experiments time and time again, many of which fail. “It takes a lot of risk-taking, commitment and resilience,” he said. “I have to create that passion and ignite it so we can continue to produce life-saving medicines.”
Watch all the interviews in full at tgr.ph/gskopenseries