'We knew we had an important part to play' - inside the Glasgow lab making sure Covid-19 vaccines are safe

But scientist Ann Lawther says it was her experience on production lines – whether boxing up Big Mac sauce for McDonald’s, populating circuit boards for Land Rover or building computers for Compaq – that got her a key role in the fight against the pandemic.

“I left school at 16, with basic qualifications - academia didn’t interest me, it’s not how I learn,” explains Ann, from Paisley, who is part of the cell biology team at science and technology firm Merck in the West of Scotland Science Park on Maryhill Road.

“I just wanted to go out and work.

“ I worked on production lines in food manufacturing, the car industry, computer manufacture – and when I saw the job advert for Merck, it was asking for all the skills I had, like speed and efficiency and good time management, all learned on production lines.

“They were looking for staff with production line experience, specifically, to join their new concept of a training school based in Stirling.”

She adds: “It sounded really interesting, so I applied, and I got the job.”

After six weeks’ intensive training, Ann joined Merck’s molecular biology team, and after 12 years, she moved to the cell biology team in Maryhill in 2018, where she is an now an associate scientist.

“The tests we do here are essential to ensure the safety of vaccines and other therapies, such as chemotherapy for cancer patients,” says Ann.

“We make sure the vaccine or treatment is free from bacteria, for example, and is fit for human use.”

Merck has considerable experience in supporting vaccine development, working on everything from the annual flu jag programme to the Ebola epidemic of 2014 to 2016.

When Covid-19 arrived, however, and everything changed overnight, the company swiftly shifted to supporting the global vaccine effort.

“There was a huge sense of urgency,” recalls Ann.

“We knew immediately this was important, that we had an important part to play.”

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Merck is pioneering technology in Glasgow which speeds up the testing process for vaccines, which has huge implications not only for future pandemics but also for gene therapy and cancer treatments.

Traditional tests, which rely on cell culture, can take up to 56 days, but Merck’s rapid testing methods, which are based on molecular biology, drastically reduce the testing time to less than 14 days.

This will allow vaccine development to happen more quickly and get products to the market faster.

Ann admits it is “frustrating” to hear people dismiss the Covid-19 vaccines as unsafe.

“It is infuriating, actually,” she frowns.

“We all know the hard work and attention to detail that goes in to safety testing on all these vaccines.”

Ann does not know which vaccines came to Merck’s Glasgow sites for testing – client confidentiality is, of course, essential, she explains.

“I don’t know, as we would never be aware of that information,” she says.

“But I get a huge sense of satisfaction from the fact vaccines being used to fight Covid-19 around the world were safety tested right here in Maryhill.”