Groundbreaking new coronavirus vaccine candidates also kill the flu – BGR

• Scientists have come up with a candidate for the groundbreaking coronavirus vaccine that has few theoretical advantages over other candidates.
• Researchers in Hong Kong have developed an experimental drug that protects against the coronavirus and the flu.
• The vaccine will be given as a nasal spray instead of the traditional injection so that it can generate a response at the typical entry site for these infectious pathogens.

---

At least one coronavirus vaccine may be approved for emergency use in the U.S. and EU by the end of the year, at which time people may be vaccinated in the risk category. As more vaccines become available, more vaccination campaigns will be launched worldwide in the first month of 2021. It is assumed that some experimental drugs that reach the final stage of testing prove to be safe and effective, as not all drugs will be successful after the stage 3 test, no matter how promising it may seem.

What is great about the current state of COVID-19 vaccine research is that there are hundreds of ideas in development, of which only a dozen have reached stage 3, the more vaccines become available, the more likely it is that we will find someone working. And scientists have come up with something that could be one of the most exciting COVID-19 vaccine concepts ever – not just because it can be administered by spraying instead of regular shots, but because it should be protected from COVID-19 and both. . The flu, because it targets both at the same time.

Researchers in Hong Kong have developed an influenza and Covid-19 vaccine that will enter Phase 1 testing in Hong Kong in November. This means that the drug will not take regulatory approval for several months, and it assumes it clears all three phases of the trial with proven success. But the epidemic will not end until the end of 2021. Some speculate that the epidemic is here to stay until 2022. Even then, the virus has spread to communities, and scientists do not believe that Covid-19 will be eradicated. To manage the disease, it is necessary to get vaccinated along with other therapeutic and preventive measures.

The first phase of the trial will begin in Hong Kong, with about 100 adults enrolled, UN Kovac-Yung said. Bloomberg. The Department of Microbiology at UN University Hong Kong is chairing the infectious disease, which is involved in this study.

The concept of a vaccine is similar to the flu vaccine given by a spray. The idea behind these drugs is that they start working where the respiratory virus enters the body, the nose. But scientists went a step further and developed a dual vaccine that protects against coronavirus.

“Our idea is that we need protection against both influenza and Covid-19 at the same time,” the UN said. The vaccine uses a weak flu virus that only grows in the upper airways. The observant virus cannot mimic and has been genetically engineered to incorporate the coronavirus spike protein.

If successful, the vaccine will trigger an immune response to the coronavirus. The immune system should produce neutralizing antibodies to those spike proteins, blocking the actual coronavirus. The immune system will also respond to the flu virus used in the vaccine. Other influenza viruses can still be contagious, he said.

“We have shown very well that it works in animals,” the UN said. “I think the mucosal vaccine is a great idea,” he said, referring to the spray vaccine targeting the nasal mucous membrane.

The vaccine has been funded by the Coalition Preparatory Innovation (CEPI) and the Coalition Government of Hong Kong. CEPI will analyze successful vaccines and compare all research results to identify the best approaches to prevent infection. The Hong Kong trial will result in Phase 1 a few months after its November start date. China began a separate Phase 1 trial a few weeks ago on a vaccine candidate coming in spray form. Separately, other researchers are studying COVID-19 drugs that can be administered by spray or nebulizer.