Moderna testing next-gen vax variant
Cambridge biotech company Moderna is testing a new “next generation” coronavirus vaccine with the potential to remain stable at standard refrigerator temperatures instead of requiring ultracold storage.
The first participants have already been dosed with the new vaccine candidate, called mRNA-1283, the company announced on Monday.
“We are pleased to begin this Phase 1 study of our next generation COVID-19 vaccine candidate, mRNA-1283,” said Stephane Bancel, CEO of Moderna.
The vaccine candidate is being developed as a potential refrigerator-stable shot, which Bancel said, “could facilitate easier distribution and administration in a wider range of settings, including potentially for developing countries.”
The study will assess the safety of the vaccine at three dose levels, and will be given to healthy adults either as a single dose, or in two doses 28 days apart, according to Moderna.
The candidate will also be evaluated in future studies as a booster dose for previously-vaccinated people.
Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine that has already been authorized by the Food and Drug Administration requires a twodose regimen and special freezers are needed to store the doses.
Some hospitals, health clinics and rural areas lack access to the necessary freezers, meaning standard refrigeration for the vaccines would be a game-changer.
Both vaccines target the coronavirus spike protein.
More than 109 million coronavirus vaccines have been administered in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 52.8 million of which have been Moderna doses.
Moderna is also working on other studies. One is testing its coronavirus vaccine on children and another is evaluating a variant-specific vaccine candidate.
Coronavirus vaccination continues to ramp up with more than 2.2 million doses being administered every day, according to White House officials.