Italy develops vaccine candidate to neutralize SARS-CoV-2 in mice

As the world tackles coronavirus disease (COVID-19), scientists compete to develop treatments and vaccines to combat viral infections. Although many ongoing trials show promise in the fight against the new coronavirus, Italian researchers have found that a vaccine that can neutralize severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in animal cells Claims to have developed.

From the team Takis biotechIs a biotechnology company based in Rome, Italy and tested at the Lazzaro Spallanzani Hospital in Rome, which specializes in infectious diseases. The results of the first study in this mouse were very positive. After a single dose, the five candidate DNA-based vaccines were able to induce a strong antibody response against the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in just 14 days.

When the coronavirus spike protein (red) binds to the ACE2 receptor (blue) on human cells, the virus penetrates into the cell as depicted in the background. Illustration credit: Juan Gaertner / Shutterstock

one step closer

Most pharmaceutical companies are under pressure to develop coronavirus vaccines for SARS-CoV-2. There are many promising candidates, but landing strong and effective candidates can be a daunting task.

However, in the world’s first breakthrough, scientists developed the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate by raising antibodies in mice. This is the first time scientists have discovered a way to neutralize and neutralize SARS-CoV-2. Biotechnology companies say they plan to start human testing by June.

“According to Sparantanzani Hospital, to our knowledge, this is the first time we have demonstrated coronavirus neutralization with a vaccine. We expect this to happen in humans,” Luigi Aurisicchio, CEO of Takis Biotech. Said in a statement.

Tests carried out by Italian scientists indicate that the vaccine may potentially act on human SARS-CoV-2. In addition, the company is exploring pharmaceutical company LineaRx and other state-of-the-art platforms to further develop vaccines.

To succeed in that venture, biotechnology companies need the support of the Italian government as well as international institutions and partners who may want to help accelerate the process.

Aurisicchio emphasized that this is not competition or competition. With the help of companies and scientists, the world will be able to overcome deadly viruses.

Is there a vaccine by the end of the year?

Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the world could take a year and a half to get a new coronavirus vaccine.

The statement came after pharmaceutical firm Pfizer claimed it could have an emergency vaccine ready by September. But Forch said the most realistic date would be until January. Vaccines can typically take about 5 to 15 years to reach the market, but by tracking the process quickly, vaccines can be shorter.

Currently, the vaccine development record is 4 years, but the general vaccine is chicken pox It took 28 years to develop the flu. The measles vaccine came at a four year acceleration rate. Still, coronavirus vaccines are a long way to go, given the processes required for approval for human use.

Some say that the usual obstacles to vaccine development have been removed in the coronavirus pandemic, making it faster to have an effective vaccine by the beginning of next year. Take the H1N1 outbreak in 2009, where scientists could develop a vaccine against the virus in just five months.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization said that deliberately infecting healthy volunteers with the virus could speed up studies of vaccines against SARS-CoV-2. Although such studies may pose a risk to participants, these are necessary in dire situations such as coronavirus pandemics.

Challenge studies in which vaccines, prophylactics, and treatments are tested directly in informed volunteers may help speed the development and approval of the required vaccines.

“They could be significantly faster to perform than field trials of vaccines, which could mean that participants who need to be exposed to vaccines to provide (tentative) estimates of efficacy and safety Because much less, such studies can be used to compare Effectiveness of We select multiple vaccine candidates, and therefore the most promising vaccines for large-scale studies, “the report reads.

Today, health organizations with more than 100 vaccine candidates are investigating the feasibility and safety of conducting challenge studies.