RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – A candidate for coronavirus vaccine has achieved successful results against the most common mutation of the virus – and may expedite the development of a cure.
According to a new study, the product manufactured by the Moderna biotech company has been tested for the D614G mutation of the virus, present in over 70 percent of confirmed infections worldwide. It is also the most common strain in Europe, reaching 100 percent of cases in some countries.
The research was led by Professor Drew Weissman from the University of Pennsylvania and published on Medrxiv.org but has not yet been peer-reviewed by other professionals in the field.
This mutation also reproduces more in the airways and is, therefore, more easily transmitted from person to person. As this virus has a structure that links more easily to cells, it is also more susceptible to antibody attack, the research found. According to the findings, because it is more transmissible, this variety of the virus is also more susceptible to antibodies.
Another study, from the University of California at Berkeley, found that the D614G strain has acquired two additional mutations, present in the United States and Europe. When these two varieties are present in the same region, mortality rates increase.
The Moderna vaccine has been tested on humans, monkeys, and rats. After a few weeks, blood samples were collected to assess antibody production. Duke University, Harvard Medical School, and Los Alamos National Laboratory are also involved in the research.
About a week ago, results from Phase 1 of trials for the Moderna vaccine candidate had already proven its safety and that it produces an immune response and antibody production in humans, according to results published in The New England Journal of Medicine.
Moderna will now begin a trial with 30,000 people on July 27th that will provide a conclusive answer as to whether or not the vaccine works. Moderna was the first pharmaceutical company to conduct human trials and may be the first to launch its product commercially.
After almost eight months of research, science has taken a major leap over the past week. Three vaccines have reported positive results on efficacy in fighting the novel coronavirus. They came from the United Kingdom, China, and the United States.
The vaccine projects proved safe in humans and also produced an immune response against the novel coronavirus. The feat was achieved by Oxford University in partnership with AstraZeneca Pharmaceutical, by the Beijing Institute of Biotechnology, and by the American pharmaceutical giant Pfizer in partnership with the German biotechnology company BioNTech.
In addition, for China’s National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinopharm), a vaccine against the novel coronavirus could be ready for public use by the end of this year, according to Chinese state media. Initially, it was expected to be ready only in 2021. Sinopharm’s vaccine recently entered its third phase of clinical trials, with about 15,000 volunteers and two variations of the vaccine.
For the time being, no medication or vaccine against Covid-19 has been approved for regular use, thus all treatments are considered experimental. There are currently dozens of vaccines in different testing stages worldwide. But there is great expectation that some of them will succeed, so that the end of the pandemic that marked the year 2020 may begin.
Source: Exame