The novel coronavirus is still at large and affecting people all over the world now. While the death toll has surpassed 1,000, we have also had a number of people recovering from it. In fact, about 4,000 people have recovered from the new strain of coronavirus. Therefore, we must not panic and just ensure our own health while the professionals take charge. Thankfully two research teams have announced that there are possible vaccines. The possible vaccines are currently in the animal trials stage.
Novel Coronavirus Vaccines
To begin, the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) now have a candidate vaccine that targets the novel coronavirus. It is now being tested on animals with the first stage focusing on mice.
The mRNA vaccine is the result of CDC, Tongi University School of Medicine, and Stermirna Therapeutics Co Ltd. working together. Moreover, it is just two weeks after the centre isolated the first new coronavirus strain.
However, please be aware that the animal testing is still in a very early stage of vaccine development. There are still a number of steps to take before it is ready for human administration.
For example, toxicity test will be conducted on larger animals. It is only after a few successful rounds that it will be deemed safe for human clinical trials.
Imperial College London has a Candidate
Next, the Imperial College London (ICL) in the UK is also testing out a candidate vaccine on animals. The research team in ICL are confident that they have the technology to develop a vaccine much faster than anywhere else.
If successful, and if the establishment can obtain additional funding, the vaccine should move into human clinical trials soon.
Other Institutes and Companies
While these two institutes are testing their candidate vaccines on animals, other institutes are still working hard.The Jenner Institute for Vaccine Research at the University of Oxford will soon begin testing out their candidate vaccine.
Researchers at the institute are using a safely altered version of the adenovirus. This will allow the body to build up immunity to the protein found in the novel Coronavirus.
Furthermore, a number of research institutes and companies around the world are stepping up efforts to develop a vaccine.
