According to The Guardian, a new vaccine has been developed in Melbourne over the past five months by researchers from Monash University, pharmaceutical manufacturer IDT Australia, and the Doherty Institute.
On November 30, Victoria’s Minister for Medical Research, Jaala Pulford, announced that this is a “significant milestone” – the first time Australia has developed an mRNA vaccine in any form.
“We are the only place in this country with the capability to produce pharmaceuticals, as well as develop science, to achieve this,” she stated.
Image of the coronavirus observed under a microscope. (Photo: Getty Images).
Pulford mentioned that this technology could open up a “completely new world of personalized medicine” and assist scientists in developing treatments for other diseases, including cancer.
Professor of Pharmaceutical Biology Colin Pouton from Monash University stated that this new vaccine differs from existing Covid-19 vaccines.
According to him, the new vaccine could be used to combat new Covid-19 variants, including Omicron, although the effectiveness of existing vaccines against this variant has yet to be determined.
Pouton said: “We still don’t know because Omicron has only infected a relatively small number of people.”
“However, the advantage of mRNA and recombinant proteins is that we can supplement this vaccine very quickly, within a few weeks, to respond to a newly emerging variant,” he added.
Pouton noted that this vaccine was created to target the Beta variant, which is believed to have disappeared but is starting to re-emerge in southern Africa.
He commented: “So far, that is the only variant that the vaccine seems unable to maximize its effectiveness against. Choosing Beta as the model variant will help create a vaccine that can truly challenge other dangerous new variants that may emerge.”
The mRNA vaccine is currently undergoing clinical trials and regulatory approval.
Approximately 450 doses have been produced in Boronia, with 150 participants in phase one trials starting in January 2022, with results expected by the end of 2022.
However, it may take several years for the new vaccine to be rolled out widely. This will only happen if the new vaccine passes through three phases of clinical trials and is approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration.
In fact, not all drugs and treatments make it to the final stage of clinical trials.
