Paul Mensah a US-based Ghanaian chemical engineer and vice president of the bioprocess R&D at Pfizer Inc. led a team of Pfizer scientists, engineers, and technicians to develop a vaccine that is 95% effective against COVID-19.
He was responsible for developing and manufacturing the vaccine’s FNA starting material and the RNA drug substance that ultimately becomes the vaccine.
Having been involved in the process and the development of the vaccine, Paul believes its efficacy and therefore seeks to boost the confidence of the people within the Black and Brown communities with regards to the vaccine.
In an interview with the ST. Louis public radio, Paul mentioned that “he takes pride in knowing that he and his wife have taken the vaccine and that his kids will eventually get it too.”
Prior to his current role, he led the Pfizer Culture Process Development group in the Bioprocess R&D which was responsible for the development, characterization, transfer, and the scale of cell culture and fermentation process from the regulatory toxicology stage through to licensure.
Paul is a trained Chemical Engineer with a First degree from the University of Cornel (B.S.) and an M.S and Ph.D. from the University of Virginia in 1997 and 1999 respectively. He is a member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and the Society of Biological Sciences.
Right after completing his Ph.D. studies at the University of Virginia in 1999, Paul joined Pfizer in that same year as a research scientist.
In the early part of his career at Pfizer, Paul held roles in the Purification Process Development Group and has led several biotherapeutics teams steering them through the clinical development stage from phase 1 through to phase 3.
In 2017, Mensah was named Vice President for Bioprocess Research and Development and Drug Supply in Biotherapeutics Pharmaceutical Sciences at Pfizer Inc.
Based in St. Louis, he also leads the group’s sites in Massachusetts, North Carolina, and New York. A key responsibility is overseeing the development of innovative processes for manufacturing Pfizer’s growing portfolio of biotherapeutics, including gene therapy and vaccines.
He is also a diversity leader group on the Pfizer Global Black Council.
Source: Africafeeds.com
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