Contents
The microbiologist Dr. Mariola Fotin-Mleczek leads an international team that is working on inventing a vaccine for the coronavirus. In the “Facts after Facts” program, she announced that the vaccine should be ready for human testing between June and July.
Dr Mariola Fotin-Mleczek, who comes from Poland, is the head of technology at the German company CureVac. He oversees the process of creating a completely new generation vaccine, based on RNA, i.e. ribonucleic acid.
– The molecule of this acid contains information about the structure of the protein on the surface of this virus – the researcher explains on the TVN24 antenna.
The method is innovative and has great potential.
It is because our immune system does not need all of the virus to react appropriately and neutralize it, it produces antibodies that are directed against specific proteins. […] We do not give the entire coronavirus, but only give a cell with genetic information, this can be compared to a floppy disk or flash drive that is inserted into our cells and they recognize what protein should be produced. Our cells, these will be muscle cells, will start to produce a protein from the virus. It is a protein foreign to our system, and our immune system learns from childhood to recognize its own proteins from foreign proteins. When our body sees this foreign protein, it will react properly and mobilize these natural forces, react with the production of antibodies or the entire mobilization of the immune system. And it is beautiful in our technology that we use these natural mechanisms.
The coronavirus vaccine that CureVac is proposing has another huge advantage: it is quite easy to modify. So if the coronavirus mutates in the future, it can be adapted to the new genetic variation of the pathogen.
- Also read: Coronavirus has different mutations. Has a more dangerous type reached Italy?
When will the vaccine be ready, and who will be the first to get it?
Preparations for the coronavirus vaccine for the first tests began in January. Production started two weeks ago. Now animal research and vaccine production are running in parallel. The first results obtained by the laboratory confirm that Dr. Fotin-Mleczek’s team is on a very good path. The vaccine elicits an appropriate immune responsestimulates the production of a large number of antibodies.
– The results are very fresh. These are the results we got after the first dose of this vaccine. We reckon that two doses will most likely be needed, as we also knew from our previous human rabies vaccine studies. We were very surprised that after just one dose, three weeks after administration, we see such a high level of antibodies – says the researcher.
If all goes as planned, human testing will begin in late June or early July. In the fall, the first research results are expected to be available to answer the question of whether the vaccine is effective and safe. The goal of Phase XNUMX trials is to find out what is the appropriate dose. These studies are to be carried out in different age groups as a vaccine only tested in young people cannot be approved for use in older people
– As soon as we determine the dose, and here we are counting on autumn, we can start the second phase research. Then they vaccinate very quickly and in very large numbers of people. We will work closely with regulators to consider whether such a vaccine can be approved for people from at-risk backgrounds, such as healthcare professionals. This would be the first group that would possibly benefit from such a vaccine – explains Dr. Mariola Fotin-Mleczek in “Facts po Faktach”.
The editorial board recommends:
- Johnson & Johnson wants to start testing the vaccine in September. How is the work of other producers going?
- Jennifer Haller has volunteered to test a COVID-19 vaccine. She told how it looks in practice
- What is coronavirus incubation?
Have a question about the coronavirus? Send them to the following address: [email protected]. You will find a daily updated list of answers HERE: Coronavirus – frequently asked questions and answers.