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The experimentation of vaccine against Covid-19, developed by AstraZeneca in collaboration with the University of Oxford, has been stopped. According to the British Health Minister, Matt Hancock, the rupture is due to an unexpected adverse reaction in one of the volunteers who had been administered the antidote, who had reached the last phase of the experiment. A team of researchers is investigating the patient’s symptoms, which will try to understand the possible correlation between the vaccine and the unexpected reaction in the volunteer.
Indiscretions
The minister did not mention the type of problem caused to the volunteer, but already in the first hours after the news of the stop some indiscretions. As revealed by an anonymous source from the New York Times, the trial participant, enrolled in a UK-based study, would have received a diagnosis of transverse myelitis, a inflammatory syndrome They affect the spinal cord and are often triggered by viral infections. The newspaper tried to ask AstraZeneca who, however, declined to comment on the trial volunteer’s situation, without confirming the diagnosis of transverse myelitis. “The event is being investigated by an independent committee– explained the company- and it is too early to complete the specific diagnosis“.
Transverse myelitis
If the rumors about the inflammation caused by the vaccine turned out to be true, the volunteer would have developed transverse myelitis. As explained to Acted the geneticist Giuseppe Novelli, from the Tor Vergata University of Rome and the Lorenzini Foundation, myelitis is “a inflammation Acute gray matter and white matter in one or more adjacent segments of the spinal cord, usually on the chestThat is, it is an inflammation of the spinal nervous system that, depending on the aggressiveness with which it arises, can also lead to serious consequences, such as motor and sensory dysfunctions or paresis.
It is not yet known what causes this disease, but it is suspected that it is the result of an autoimmune reaction, when the immune system it rages against the tissues of the body, because it perceives them as a threat. In the case of myelitis, the damaged tissues are those of the spinal cord. The Oxford University vaccine may have triggered this mechanism, as it relies on a modified monkey adenovirus to carry certain coronavirus genes and thus stimulate the immune response against the virus. “Adenovirus– explains Novelli-can trigger their own immune responses, which could harm the patient without generating the expected form of protectiona “. According to the neurologist at Yale Hospital, New Haven”,Transverse myelitis can result from a number of causes that result in inflammatory responses of the body, including viral infections. But the condition can often be treated with steroids.“.
What happens now
At the moment, in any case, they are hypotheses, not confirmed by any specific diagnosis. Also, the vaccine may not have caused the “unexpected adverse reaction.” “At this stage, we do not know if the events that triggered the suspension are related to vaccination,” explained Dr. Luciana Borio, “but it is important that they are thoroughly investigated.” In addition, the experts defined the pause in the vaccine test as “physiological”, a fact to take into account in this context, given the sensitivity of the situation and the need to treat and control all aspects of the different phases. “Discontinuation of the trial after reporting a serious adverse event is a planned procedure– Novelli- specific requires more research to establish whether there is direct or indirect causation of the vaccine, before continuing “. at the moment, however, it is not possible to know how long it will take to verify the efficacy of the vaccine.
