The US military has launched clinical trials for the next-generation COVID-19 vaccine, designed to protect against the pandemic virus, its variants and other coronaviruses.
In early tests, the shot appears to cause high levels of antibodies that should block the older “wild-type” coronavirus, three major variants and even SARS-CoV-1, the similar pathogen that triggered the 2002 SARS epidemic.
Developed at the Walter Reed Army Research Institute (WRAIR), the shot could have the potential to prevent future viruses from triggering pandemics, the scientists behind it hope.
His first clinical trial, launched this week, will test the blow on 72 health volunteers between the ages of 18 and 55.
U.S. Army scientists have launched clinical trials in 72 participants for its coronavirus vaccine, which triggered antibodies to several variants in early tests – and may even work wide enough to prevent future coronavirus and other viruses. them (file)
The three COVID-19 vaccines available under the US Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) are extremely effective against the form that spread like wildfire in 2020.
But variant B117, the most infectious in the UK, is now dominant in the US, Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) officials said on Wednesday.
Vaccines still protect against B117, but new threats have emerged.
The variants first identified in South Africa, Brazil, New York, California and India have all mutations that make scientists worried that the variants could steal vaccine-triggered antibodies.
So far, all three vaccines authorized in the US – as well as the besieged AstraZeneca shot – appear to have been weakened by, but still protected by, the South African and Brazilian variants, which have been the main concern.
And data released Wednesday suggests the Moderna vaccine works against the California variant.
If the Moderna vaccine can stop the variant, it is possible that Pfizer can also, because the two photos use the same type of technology.
But all these photos work on the so-called “spike” protein.
The spike protein emerges from the surface of the virus and allows it to penetrate and infect human cells.
Current vaccines trigger antibodies designed to stick to this tip, disabling or at least weakening its ability to bind to receptors on the surface of human cells.
But viruses are constantly moving, and this region of the virus is particularly prone to evolution.
Vaccines can be updated to counteract these mutations, but that could mean an endless loop of booster photos.
And viruses like SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19, make the leap from animals to humans more common, increasing the overall risk of more pandemics.
So the Army is taking a different approach, hoping to address the current pandemic, its evolution and future potential.
“That’s why we need such a vaccine: one that has the potential to widely and proactively protect against multiple coronavirus species and strains,” said Dr. Kayvon Modjarrad, director of the Emerging Infectious Diseases Branch (EIDB) at WRAIR. , who leads the army’s COVID. 19 vaccine research.
“Even before the recent COVID-19 variants were identified, our team was concerned about the appearance of new coronaviruses in human populations, a threat that has accelerated in recent years.”
Global disease experts have been on high alert for years.
So, ideally, universal vaccines against whole types of pathogens could help the world be prepared for virtually any threat before it reaches pandemic proportions.
To do this, the technology used by the military – known as the ferritin nanoparticle vaccine platform – allows small harmless parts of a virus or viruses to be attached to the round surface of the vehicle and delivered to the body.
This vehicle is ferritin nanoparticles, a small particle that contains iron. Most vaccines, such as those produced by Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca, use a harmless vehicle as a vehicle. MRNA images, such as Moderna and Pfizer, provide a piece of genetic code for the top protein of the coronavirus to technique the body to make this protein and antibodies against it.
But the military vaccine could trigger wider protection, and because it uses a simpler iron nanoparticle, it should not be stored at temperatures as cold as those required for currently authorized fires.
And it could be developed much faster.
Early tests showed that the same vaccine developed by the military triggered high levels of neutralizing antibodies to variants, as well as the SARS 2002 virus.
Early research on these types of vaccines suggests that they trigger equally strong, if not stronger, immune responses compared to other vaccine platforms – and they do so with fewer side effects.
Now, he just has to prove his quality in clinical trials.
“We are in this long-term direction,” said Dr. Modjarrad.
“We designed and positioned this platform as the next generation vaccine, one that paves the way for a universal vaccine that protects not only the current virus, but also counteracts future variants, stopping them before they can cause a vaccine. another pandemic. ‘