University of Washington School of Medicine researchers using a cutting-edge approach to vaccinations report that their COVID-19 vaccine is performing well in mouse and non-human primate studies.
The vaccine checks many of the most important boxes for preventing the deadly disease:
- With just a single dose, the vaccine triggers a robust immune response in mice and primates called pigtail macaques. It performed well in young and old mice, suggesting it could be effective in a broad range of ages in people.
- The vaccine is stable at room temperature, allowing for its use in areas of the world lacking reliable refrigeration.
- It should be possible to quickly manufacture billions of doses.
- UW researchers said the vaccine should be cost effective to produce.
The Seattle-based researchers are developing a nucleic acid vaccine, and more specifically a replicating RNA vaccine. While this sort of next-generation vaccine has never been cleared for use in humans, it has multiple advantages to traditional vaccines, including being developed quickly and triggering a strong immune reaction (check out this GeekWire podcast for more on vaccine science).
“We realized that we may be on to a rapid response vaccine to the COVID-19, so we quickly accelerated that program forward,” said Deborah Fuller, a professor of microbiology and a vaccinologist. The other lead scientist on the project is Jesse Erasmus, a molecular virologist and postdoctoral fellow in Fuller’s lab.
The vaccine from UW researchers additionally contains the novel Lipid InOrganic Nanoparticle, or LION, a component designed to improve vaccine stability, delivery and immune response. LION was developed by the Seattle biotechnology company HDT Bio; Amit P. Kandhar is the lead formulation developer of LION.
The scientists reported their findings Monday in a rapid-release paper in Science Translational Medicine.
There are still some hurdles to clear, and then researchers hope to begin clinical trials of the vaccine in human volunteers in the U.S., India and Brazil, said Darrick Carter, chief scientific officer at HDT Bio.
The tests in the U.S. should begin by October, if not sooner. They would be performed in Seattle with Dr. Lisa Jackson, who is also the clinical investigator for Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine.
