COVID-19: Australia's experimental vaccine shows 'positive results' in preclinical trials

Australia's The University of Queensland's experimental COVID-19 vaccine candidate has shown “promising results” in the preclinical animal trials. In a press release on August 25, the scientists said that the vaccine has given good results in terms of its potential effectiveness and manufacturability. Animal trials were conducted by Viroclinics-DDL Diagnostic Laboratory in the Netherlands and the results were submitted to the International Society for Vaccines for human trials approval, project co-leader Associate Professor Keith Chappell said. 

“The neutralizing immune response created by our molecular clamp vaccine in animal models was better than the average level of antibodies found in patients who have recovered from COVID-19,” Dr. Chappell said in the press release.

“In hamster models, the vaccine combined with the Seqirus MF59® adjuvant provided protection against virus replication, and reduced lung inflammation following exposure to the virus,” he added.

The doctors observed a “strong” T-cell response that targeted the coronavirus better than the antibodies found in human immunity systems. UQ team became the world’s first project to report against COVID-19 reference standards produced by The National Institute for Biological Standards and Control (NIBSC) and recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), as per the release. Epidemic Preparedness (CEPI) and the University of Queensland also announced a partnership with CSL to advance production and accelerate the vaccine program into late-stage clinical testing. 

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“A vaccine is vital in putting an end to this pandemic. That’s why the government has thrown its support behind UQ with $10 million in funding to fast-track this research," Queensland’s Innovation Minister Kate Jones said. 

Further, he stressed, “The sooner we can produce a coronavirus vaccine, the sooner life will get back to normal for millions of Queenslanders who have been impacted by this pandemic.”

To manufacture millions of doses

“One of the big challenges in the development of vaccines is the ability to produce them at sufficient scale for widespread use,” Dr. Chappell said. He added, the team was “working with CSL to ensure the production yield is as efficient as possible, and have every confidence they will be able to manufacture the millions of doses required to protect the Australian public.” While the phase I study yielded great results and demonstrated the required safety and immune responses, the scientists expected to commence “a large-scale efficacy study before the end of the year.” They were also hopeful that the data from the research would be available in time for CSL.  

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