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Sinovac Biotech, a Chinese biotech company, says that, for the first time, a vaccine against the new coronavirus protected an animal, a rhesus monkey, from infection without obvious side effects. A group of eight animals was vaccinated with two different doses and, three weeks later, Sars-Cov-2 was inserted into their lungs. None of them developed the disease.
Animals that received the highest dose did not have the virus detected seven days after receiving it. The lowest dose group had a viral outbreak, but managed to control the infection. “The results give us a lot of confidence,” said Meng Weining, director of Sinovac.
Douglas Reed, a researcher at the University of Pittsburgh working on finding vaccines for the coronavirus, warned of the low number of animals used in the trial. In addition, his team claims that the way the Chinese used to increase stocks of the virus may have caused a change that made it less infectious.
However, the study itself raises concerns about partial protection. Previous experiments have found that low levels of antibodies can lead to unexpected immune responses, improving infection but causing pathology in the lungs. Despite this, the company found no evidence of lung damage in the animals, which “lessens concerns about improving the vaccine,” Reed said.
Sinovac is an experienced vaccine manufacturer, responsible for production against hepatitis A and B, H5N1 flu, influenza, and other diseases. Despite this, Meng says it only has the capacity to produce 100 million doses, making it necessary to partner with other manufacturers if the vaccine proves to be safe and effective for humans. Human testing of the new vaccine began April 16.
The company recently began phase I trials, which aim to verify safety and immune responses in 144 employees. Phase II is slated to begin in mid-May, with at least 1,000 people, and is expected to last until the end of June. If all goes well, Phase III will evaluate the effectiveness of the vaccine. According to the WHO, six other vaccines have been tested in humans since last Thursday (23) and another 77 are in development.
Via: Science mag
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