A coronavirus vaccine candidate is being tried on humans in the UK, starting today, as part of very ambitious efforts to find an antidote to deadly virus which causes Coronavirus disease (Covid-19).
The vaccine combines a weakened version of the common cold virus with gene coding for the spikes on the coronavirus, which is its most lethal weapon and also the source of the virus’ name.
Following an announcement yesterday by Britain’s Health Minister, Matt Hancock, that the trial of the vaccine in humans will be undertaken on Thursday, the trials began today.
510 health volunteers between the ages of 18 and 55 have been recruited for the trial.
Half of The volunteers will be given the vaccine and the other half will be given a “control” vaccine which protects against meningitis and sepsis (infection in the blood).
The trial is to last for some 6 months, with an optional visit one year after vaccination.
Developed by experts at the University of Oxford, the vaccine is made from a weakened version of a common cold virus called the adenovirus, taken from chimpanzees. The adenovirus has been genetically altered so that it can’t replicate and grow in humans.
The researchers also combined the candidate vaccine with genes that code for the so-called “spike” proteins that the coronavirus uses to infect human cells.
The World Helath Organization has said that more than 70 COVID-19 vaccines are currently in development worldwide. The University of Oxford vaccine is one of 4 currently in human trials, according to the WHO.
Even with an accelerated timeline, it could take up to 12 to 18 months to develop, test and approve a vaccine for public use.