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The US military will begin testing a Covid-19 vaccine developed by the military, which researchers say could protect against a variety of coronavirus variants.
Army doctors plan to begin testing the protein-based shot in as many as 72 adults aged 18 to 55 at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in Silver Spring, MD on Tuesday, the institute said. The team will test whether the vaccine safely elicits the desired immune response in subjects.
The initial results of the study could be available by midsummer. If the data is positive, the military will likely try to work with a drug company to further test and develop the vaccine, said Kayvon Modjarrad, director of the institute’s emerging branch of infectious diseases.
The experimental shot is among the dozens in development, many aiming to improve the available shots. About 229 trials of human vaccination are underway, according to BioCentury, which is monitoring the efforts.
The next generation of Covid-19 vaccines could play a role in vaccinations if they are differentiated from the current crop, say infectious disease specialists and industry analysts. Vaccinations that elicit a different type of immune response, or that have a different route of administration – such as a nasal spray or liquid formulation that can be swallowed – can be useful as primary vaccinations outside the US or as household vaccines in the US
Vaccines that are currently in the pipeline may be particularly useful as booster shots in people who have previously received Covid-19 vaccines that contain a harmless type of virus known as an adenovirus, such as Johnson & Johnson’s and AstraZeneca PLCs, because those immunities against the adenovirus in a way that could reduce the effectiveness of a booster shot based on technology.
Army researchers say their vaccine is protective in studies of monkeys exposed to the coronavirus.
According to laboratory tests, the vaccine can be protected against newer, more transmissible variants of the virus, including those first identified in the United Kingdom and South Africa, said Dr. Modjarrad said.
“This vaccine can be a good vaccine to cover all different types of strains,” he said.
If successful in testing, the vaccine could also be used as a stimulant shot in people who had previously received one of the newly authorized vaccines, to boost immunity to variants, he said.
The vaccine could be used in the wider population, not just among members of the military, he said.
The currently authorized vaccines in the USA – from Pfizer Inc. with partner BioNTech SE; Modern Ing .; and J & J – they seem to have an effect against the newer virus variants.
However, J & J’s vaccine was less effective in the South African part of a large study, where the variant was widespread, than in other countries where the study was conducted. And the vaccines Pfizer and Moderna have a reduced neutralizing effect against the stress in laboratory tests using blood samples from vaccines, compared to its effect on the original virus strain.
Scientists from the Army Research Institute developed their vaccine by making a copy of the vein protein found on the surface of the coronavirus on another protein known as ferritin, which is commonly found in human blood and contains iron.
The ferritin proteins form a multifaceted spherical structure that resembles the coronavirus. It is in turn designed to elicit an immune response that can help ward off the actual virus if a vaccinated person is later exposed.
The vaccine also contains an ingredient called an additive, which is designed to enhance immune responses.
Army scientists plan to use a similar design to develop a vaccine that can protect not only Covid-19 but also other coronaviruses, said Dr. Modjarrad said.
Some volunteers in the study will receive one dose of the Army vaccine, and others will receive two doses given four weeks apart. Researchers will assess immune responses from blood samples taken approximately two weeks after the second dose or six weeks after the single dose.
Write to Peter Loftus at [email protected]
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