One of the owners of the Los Angeles Lakers is developing a coronavirus vaccine that requires no injection.
Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong and his team of researchers are testing whether oral pills can work in combination with – or even better than – vaccines approved by the Food and Drug Administration, reports CBS Los Angeles.
All three vaccines authorized in the US for emergency use – from Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson – work by creating antibodies that penetrate and infect the protein used by the coronavirus.
But the team’s new vaccine targets the earthy form in the middle of the virus, which does not mutate frequently.
In addition, the team says that the vaccine will be administered faster, cheaper and easier because it does not need to be stored in the refrigerator or freezer.
Researchers at the Chan Soon-Shiong Research Institute are developing a new oral COVID-19 vaccine (above) that targets the world-like form at the center of the virus
One of the developers, Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong (pictured), co-owner of the Los Angeles Lakers, says the new vaccine will also generate T cells that bind to and kill viruses
“Having a vaccine with room temperature, which can be a pill, is life-changing,” one of the researchers, Dr. Tara Seery, of the Chan Soon-Shiong Research Institute for Medicine in El Segundo, California, told CBS said in Los Angeles.
For the trial, which is currently in phase I, the team divided volunteers into four groups to see how well the pills work.
One group received only pills, the second group received only one injection, the third group received pills and one injection, and the fourth did not receive one.
The new oral vaccine also targets a part of the coronavirus that is less prone to mutation.
Most of the most commonly known variants, including the United Kingdom, South Africa and Brazil, have mutations that affect the protein of the virus.
This protein is what the coronavirus uses to ‘hack’ human cells, make multiple copies of them and spread them throughout the body.
But the new oral vaccine attacks the center of the virus, known as the lipid bilayer, on which the peak protein is anchored.
“And the value of it is that we generate killer T cells,” Soon-Shiong told CBS in Los Angeles.
T cells are types of white blood cells that bind to and kill viruses.
The team believes that recipients will have long-lasting protection by generating both antibodies and T cells.
On average, about three million adults are vaccinated each day, reaching the one-time total of 4 days over the weekend.
Currently, 108.3 million Americans – 32.6% of the population – have received at least one dose and 63 million – 19% – have been fully immunized.
Soon-Chong says the researchers are also testing a combination of an injection and oral vaccines, because he believes we both need to recover the virus.
“By giving a jab, we hope to develop T cells around your body,” he told the station.
‘And by giving orally, we protect the mucous membranes, the intestines and hopefully the nose, the mouth, because that’s how the virus comes in. It does not come in through your blood. ‘
The trial is open to adults between the ages of 18 and 55 who have never tested positive for COVID-19 and are not immunocompromised. Those who want to enter can visit here.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 108.3 million Americans – 32.6 percent of the population – received at least one dose and 63 million – 19 percent – were fully immunized.
On average, about three million adults are vaccinated each day, reaching the one-time total of 4 days over the weekend.
