University of Cambridge vaccine candidate DIOS-CoVax2 is DNA-based
London:
Cambridge University aims to begin clinical trials of its possible coronavirus vaccine in the fall after receiving £ 1.9million in funding from the UK government, the university said on Wednesday.
The scientists behind the vaccine said their approach, which uses genetic sequences from all known coronaviruses to refine the immune response, could help avoid the unwanted effects of a hyper-inflammatory immune response.
“We’re looking for cracks in its armor, crucial pieces of the virus that we can use to build the vaccine to point the immune response in the right direction,” Jonathan Heeney, head of the Viral Zoonoses Laboratory at Cambridge University , said.
“Ultimately, we aim to make a vaccine that will protect not only against SARS-CoV-2, but also other related coronaviruses that could spread from animals to humans.”
No vaccine against the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, which causes COVID-19, has yet been proven clinically effective, although 30 using a range of technologies are already being tested in humans.
Cambridge’s candidate, DIOS-CoVax2, is DNA-based. The computer-generated antigenic structures are encoded by synthetic genes, which can then reprogram the body’s immune system to produce antibodies against the coronavirus.
This DNA vector method has been shown to be safe and effective in stimulating an immune response in other pathogens in early stage testing, the university said.
Although it operates on a later schedule than some other vaccine candidates, the DIOS-CoVax2 vaccine would not need to be stored in cold temperatures and could be administered without needles, which could facilitate widespread vaccine distribution. .
“This could be a major step forward in being able to give a future vaccine to a large number of people around the world,” said Saul Faust, director of the NIHR Southampton Clinical Research Facility.
(Except for the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is posted from a syndicated feed.)
