Oxford COVID-19 vaccine doing 'everything expected'; says study calling it 'good news'

The Oxford University COVID-19 vaccine, which is currently undergoing Phase III, clinical trial with Pharma Giant AstraZeneca is doing “everything expected”, an independent analysis stated on October 22. The analysis, which was conducted by researchers from Bristol University, examined vaccine candidates ChAdOx1 and also AZD1222, to see “what it does when it gets inside a human cell.”

For the purpose, they developed techniques to validate the vaccine accurately following genetic instructions programmed into it by Oxford University team. Writing in the paper published in Preprint server ResearchSquare, they explained that the latest analysis gives an insight into how the vaccine provokes a strong immune response.

Read: AstraZeneca Gets Approval Recommendation For Two Drugs From EU Agency

"This is an important study as we are able to confirm that the genetic instructions underpinning this vaccine, which is being developed as fast as safely possible, are correctly followed when they get into a human cell," said Dr David Matthews, Reader in Virology from Bristol's School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine (CMM), who led the research.

He further added that although the technology hasn’t been able to “provide answers with clarity” until now, it had definitely made sure that the vaccine was “doing everything expected." "And that is only good news in our fight against the illness," he said.

Read: COVID-19: AstraZeneca Begins Late-stage Trials Of Vaccine With 6,000 Participants

Work on the vaccine candidate developed by University of Oxford's Jenner Institute and Oxford Vaccine Group, began in January this year. Earlier this week, Brazilian health authority Anvisa said that a volunteer in the clinical trial of the COVID-19 vaccine had died. The company stated that it had received data from an investigation into the matter and added that the testing of the vaccine would continue after the volunteer's death. 

Functioning of AZD1222

The COVID-19 vaccine candidate, AZD1222, developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca start producing coronavirus spike protein after it enters cells. The spike protein prompts the immune system to produce antibodies and trigger T-cells to destroy the infected cells. If the individual encounters the novel coronavirus, the antibodies and T-cells are activated to fight the virus.

Read: COVID-19: AstraZeneca Vaccine Trial Volunteer Dies, Authorities Say Testing To Continue

Read: Thailand Agrees To Manufacture, Supply AstraZeneca's Experimental COVID-19 Vaccine

Image: AP