Vaccine, testing begins: first doses in September

Posted on: 04/13/2020 2:59 PM

by Barbara Di Chiara
“In late April, based on data acquired in recent weeks, the first batch of the vaccine developed by the Advent-Irbm / Jenner Institute / Oxford University association will leave Italy for England, where accelerated testing will begin on 550 volunteers The vaccine is slated to be usable as early as September to immunize hospital staff and law enforcement officers for compassionate use, first in the UK and then, if the Italian government deems it appropriate, also in our country. ” . Matteo Liguori, Managing Director of Irbm SpA, a Pomezia-based company that is collaborating, through its vaccine division Advent Srl, with the Jenner Institute of the University of Oxford (United Kingdom) for the production of serum with the name temporary ‘ChAdOx1 nCoV-19’.

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“Negotiation of a significant loan with a group of international investors and various governments interested in further accelerating the development and industrial production of the vaccine is in the final stages. Speaking in a UK publication, Sarah Gilbert, Professor of Vaccinology at Oxford University, under whose responsibility work on the vaccine is underway, confirmed that it will begin human studies within two weeks.The researchers said they had started examining healthy volunteers (18 to 55 years old) since on Friday, for the study to be carried out in the English region of the Thames Valley. According to the expert, there is an 80% chance that the vaccine will work, “said Liguori.

Of the many projects underway abroad and also in Italy to find a ‘shield’ against the new coronavirus, Liguori explains, “ours has three distinguishing features: first, it is a fully funded and non-funded project” . unlike others, looking for funds to get out. Second, we use a technology platform already approved and tested for other vaccines. Third, we have created a partnership with Oxford that is certainly not improvised for the study of vaccines: our partners have a wealth of experience in the field of coronaviruses. We are facing difficulties due to the increased spread of the epidemic at European level, but the desire to accelerate the progress of the project in every way is very strong. Our collaborators also work on Saturdays and Sundays, non-stop: we said that the human tests would start in September, while everything moves much faster. “

“Especially in England, the manager continues, the epidemic is moving at a rapid rate and once it is clear that the vaccine is non-toxic and does not endanger people’s health from the point of view of side effects, There is a possibility that it will be used for those on the front line, such as doctors and law enforcement. We will ship the vials we produced to Pomezia later this month, then there will be phase I-II tests and, if all goes well, the Compassionate use will begin in September. Even Italy as a nation will be able to make it possible, however there needs to be an institutional discussion to ensure there can be this interest from the government. If you can do it in England you can also do it here you just need the institutional and regulatory participation that must be aligned to make it possible ”.

The vaccine is built using a non-dangerous version of an adenovirus: a virus that can cause a disease similar to the common cold. The adenovirus has been modified so that it does not reproduce in our body and inserts the genetic code necessary for the production of the coronavirus ‘Spike’ protein in the adenoviral genome, to allow the adenovirus to express this protein in after administration of the vaccine. This involves the production of antibodies against the ‘Spike’ protein found on the surface of coronaviruses. In vaccinated individuals, antibodies produced against the ‘Spike’ protein can bind to the coronavirus that has entered the human body and prevent it from causing an infection.

“We have a long history of collaboration with the Jenner Institute – explains the managing director of Irbm – on various projects. They have been working on coronavirus in general for a long time, with a project that they have now brought to phase I against Mers. Special experience in adenovirus, which is a viral vector. We have combined these two forces to significantly accelerate the attempt to vaccinate ourselves as soon as possible. The Jenner Institute will shortly bring us the viral material for development in our laboratories, which we will then put into production and which We hope to transfer you to the next experimentation phases before the summer. “