Researchers have indicated that the vaccine currently under trial represents a significant step towards creating a preemptive vaccine aimed at preventing pandemics before they begin.
According to a report by The Guardian on May 6, scientists have developed a promising vaccine that could protect humans against multiple strains of the Coronavirus, including strains that are not yet known.
The experimental injection has been tested on mice, marking a shift in strategy towards a “preemptive vaccine”, where the vaccine is designed and ready for production before a pandemic-capable virus emerges.
The new vaccine marks a significant shift towards preemptive vaccine strategy. (Photo: REUTERS).
This vaccine was created by attaching harmless proteins from various Coronaviruses to tiny nanoparticles, which are then injected to enhance the body’s defenses against potential viral invasions.
Since the vaccine trains the immune system to target similar proteins found in different types of Coronaviruses, its protective capabilities are extensive, making it effective against both known and unknown viruses within the same family.
“We have shown that a relatively simple vaccine can still provide a broad response to various types of viruses. We must take a step towards creating vaccines before a pandemic begins,” stated Rory Hills, an expert from the University of Cambridge (UK) and the lead author of the report.
Mouse trials demonstrate that the vaccine elicits a broad immune response to Coronavirus strains, including SARS-CoV-1, the pathogen responsible for the SARS outbreak in 2003, despite the fact that proteins from that virus were not included in the vaccine’s nanoparticles.
The details of the study, conducted in collaboration between the University of Cambridge, the University of Oxford (UK), and the California Institute of Technology (USA), have been published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology.
Mr. Hills noted that this common Coronavirus vaccine could be manufactured at existing facilities for microbial fermentation and added that researchers are working with industrial partners to explore ways to scale up the process.
Nano-particles and viral proteins can be produced at different times, in various locations, and mixed together to create the vaccine.
If the vaccine is found to be safe and effective in humans, it could be used as a booster shot for COVID-19, with the added benefit of protection against other Coronaviruses.
