Oxford University Coronavirus Vaccine Shows Positive Signs In Monkeys – Here's All You Need To Know As Human Trials Go On

Some monkeys developed antibodies to the virus within 14 days of the injection of the experimental vaccine, while all six had antibodies after 28 days. published results on the bioRxiv prepress server revealed.

After exposing the monkeys to the virus, the scientists said their results showed that the vaccine is "effective in preventing damage to the lungs" and prevents the virus from replicating in the lungs. The virus was still reproducing in the nose, they added. "Above all, no evidence of immune-enhanced disease has been observed after viral challenge in vaccinated animals," said the scientists in the results.

Many countries are cautiously exiting the blockade, but life is unlikely to return to normal until a vaccine against this coronavirus is found.

So far, the virus has infected more than 4.5 million people worldwide, killing nearly 305,000 people, according to the latest figures from the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center, and putting the world's economies on hold. .

Currently, more than 70 potential vaccines are under development, according to the World Health Organization, all of which are at different stages as the race to defeat the virus begins to take shape.

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A project, developed by clinical research teams at the Jenner Institute at the University of Oxford and the Oxford Vaccine Group in the United Kingdom, seems to have taken an early initiative. Researchers started work on a vaccine in February and human trials started in late April.

Here is everything you need to know about the vaccine, called ChAdOx1 nCoV-19.

How does the vaccine work?

The vaccine is made from a weakened version of a chimpanzee cold virus (known as adenovirus), which has been modified so that it cannot get develop in humans. Next, the advanced glycoprotein of the virus that causes COVID-19 was added. "We hope that the body will recognize and develop an immune response to the Spike protein which will help prevent the SARS-CoV-2 virus from entering human cells and thereby prevent infection," said the spokesperson. ;university.

There will be side effects. Test volunteers have been warned that some may experience arm pain, headache, or fever in the first days after vaccination.

Who is tested?

Up to 1,102 healthy volunteers between the ages of 18 and 55 are recruited for trials at study sites in Oxford, Southampton, London and Bristol.

The first two volunteers, assayed by researchers at the University of Oxford on April 23, were cancer specialists and researchers. Six other volunteers were injected two days later, before the trial was expanded to include a much larger group.

In the first phase, currently underway, 550 participants receive the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine and 550 a control vaccine against meningitis and sepsis to be compared.

Participants, including three members of the same family in Oxfordshire, they record all the symptoms and keep an "electronic journal" of their experiences. Blood samples are taken during a series of follow-up visits; the samples will be used to assess the immune response to the vaccine. A separate group of 10 volunteers will receive two doses of the vaccine four weeks apart.

In phase 2, the age of participants will be increased, before 5,000 volunteers participate in phase 3.

When will it be available to the public?

The university said its best scenario is a result of fall 3's effectiveness for fall, as well as the ability to make large amounts of vaccine, but stressed that the deadline was "very ambitious and subject to change".

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The gradual emergence of the blockade in the UK may help speed up the process. The university said that if transmission was high in the community, it could get enough data to see if the vaccine works "within a few months", while a decrease in transmission could delay that figure to six months.

Scientists from Oxford said the goal was to produce a million doses of the vaccine by September.

John Bell, a royal professor of medicine at the University of Oxford, told BBC Radio 4 "Today" that he expected to receive "a signal" indicating if the vaccine works in mid-June.

Millions of doses could be ready by September, but the study's lead investigator Andrew Pollard said it was unlikely that the vaccine would be available on a "large scale" before the end of 2020.

Britain's chief medical adviser Chris Whitty has said it is unlikely that a vaccine will be available in the next year.

However, the university has entered into a potentially crucial partnership with the British drug maker AstraZeneca.
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for "further development, large-scale manufacturing and potential distribution" of the vaccine if successful.

The deal would see the pharmaceutical giant work with global partners to distribute the vaccine internationally.

The European Medicines Agency said a vaccine could be ready for approval within a year in an "optimistic" scenario on Thursday, according to Reuters. EMA vaccine manager Marco Cavaleri said he was skeptical of claims that a vaccine could be ready by September.

What if the vaccine doesn't work?

A high proportion of vaccines do not show promise even before clinical trials, and a significant proportion of those tested in clinical trials do not work. "If we cannot demonstrate that the vaccine protects against the virus, we will review progress, consider alternative approaches, such as using different dose amounts, and we could stop the program," said the. 39; university.

What about the other vaccines? Do we need more than one and when could they be ready?

The truly global nature of the pandemic means that several vaccines are likely to be needed to defeat the coronavirus.

A global fundraising event led by the European Union has pledged $ 8 billion to develop COVID-19 vaccines and ensure universal global access. More than 30 countries, as well as World Bank research institutes and philanthropic agencies, including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, have made donations. Other wealthy contributors include pop singer Madonna, who has pledged 1 million euros ($ 1.1 million).

The United States refused to contribute to the global effort and instead launched "Operation Warp Speed" to speed up the process of developing the vaccine.

Global pharmaceutical companies have also joined the vaccine race. The American pharmaceutical giant Pfizer
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has partnered with the German company BioNTech
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The human trials, which have already started in Germany, started in the United States last week. Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla told CNBC on Tuesday that clinical trials could expand to thousands of people in September if one or two versions of their vaccines show progress. Hundreds of millions of doses could occur in 2021, he said.

Modern biotechnology company
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You have completed the phase 1 trial of your COVID-19 vaccine. A phase 2 study should start this quarter and will follow 600 participants for 12 months. Significantly, Moderna announced a 10-year manufacturing agreement with the Swiss company Lonza Group
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Friday. The agreement will allow up to a billion doses of the vaccine, if successful, per year. Manufacturing facilities will be established in Switzerland and the first batch of the vaccine could be produced in July. It could be ready for the market in early 2021.

Sanofi from France
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and GlaxoSmithKline from Great Britain
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– two of the world's largest vaccine manufacturers – have joined forces to produce a vaccine, with the goal of starting registration in the fourth quarter of 2020 and approval by the second half of 2021 at the latest, an accelerated deadline of 18 months. Sanofi CEO Paul Hudson told Bloomberg News