Scientists in all-out effort to find a vaccine for coronavirus
The first coronavirus vaccine trial began Monday in Seattle when four volunteers got a version of a vaccine against the disease that as of Thursday has killed at least 168 people in 22 states, with more than 11,000 cases confirmed nationwide.
They were the beginning of an all-out effort by thousands of scientists worldwide working to create vaccines against the new coronavirus in what in research terms is a blindingly fast response to the global threat. As of last week, the World Health Organization had posted a list of 41 possible vaccine candidates on its site.
Still, no one will be lining up this summer for vaccinations. It will be at least a year to 18 months before any vaccine is ready for large-scale use, according to most estimates. Before being deployed, vaccines must go through multiple rounds of testing to make sure they are safe, effective and don’t have unintended consequences.
Researchers are not starting from scratch. Work on two previous coronaviruses, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, provide a road map for how to create an immune response to SARSCoV-2, the virus that causes the illness COVID-19.
The process was sped up immensely by the decision of professor Yong-Zhen Zhang at the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center in China to publish the virus’ genome on Jan. 10.
Early financial support from the Oslo-based Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, a nonprofit global partnership to develop vaccines, also has been crucial.
While no one knows who will cross the finish line first with a vaccine, several companies and groups are off to strong starts, particularly those already working on SARS and MERS vaccines. Here are some of the noteworthy efforts underway:
❚ Moderna: This Boston-based company already was working on RNA therapies and vaccines. It began working with the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Disease in February to create a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. It began its first human test of the vaccine Monday. If after several weeks the volunteers appear to be safe, testing will begin to see if the shot stimulates their immune system to make antibodies against the virus. The company received funding for the effort from CEPI.
❚ University of Queensland, Australia: The Australian research group was working on “molecular clamp” vaccines against MERS for several years and had a version showing results in animal studies. It got funding from CEPI and retooled its research for SARSCoV-2 in February.
❚ Inovio: This Pennsylvania-based biotech company also received a CEPI grants to develop a DNA-based vaccine against MERS. The company president said it designed a COVID-19 vaccine candidate in three hours after the genetic sequence was published by the Chinese. The company plans to begin human trials in April.
❚ CureVac: This German-based company was in the news last week after reports surfaced that President Donald Trump suggested the U.S. might buy access to its vaccines only for Americans. CureVac, which was mainly working on anti-cancer vaccines, uses messenger RNA to make vaccines. It signed a development agreement with CEPI on Jan. 31 to work on SARS-CoV-2. The company hopes to have a possible vaccine ready to test within several months.
❚ EU Horizon 2020 consortium: A large consortium of European research universities and biotech companies is working on a vaccine for SARS-CoV-2.
❚ GlaxoSmithKline: This United Kingdom-based company is one of the world’s largest vaccine producers. It has signed an agreement with CEPI to bring GSK’s adjuvant system into the SARSCoV-2 mix. Adjuvants can be added to vaccines to boost the immune response they produce. This could decrease the amount of vaccine (once one becomes available) needed per dose.