A new COVID-19 vaccine, NDV-HXP-S, which has entered clinical trials in Brazil, Mexico, Thailand and Vietnam, could change the way the world is fighting against the pandemic. It is capable of producing stronger antibodies compared to the present generation of vaccines against COVID-19. The vaccine, developed with the help of researchers at the University of Texas, is the first to use a new “molecular design”, stated a report in the The New York Times.
That apart, NDV-HXP-S could be comparatively easier to make. It can be produced on a mass scale in chicken eggs, similar to the production of influenza vaccines, produced in billions, every year.
This is a positive update considering that companies such as Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson (J&J) manufacture vaccines in specialised factories using hard-to-acquire ingredients.
The new vaccine could prove to be a breakthrough, particularly for low and middle-income countries that have struggled to procure COVID-19 vaccines for their citizens. Affordability, a major factor keeping many countries away from vaccination, could easily be addressed if the vaccine is a success.
Ilya Finkelstein, an associate professor in the Department of Molecular Biosciences, a collaborator on the technology, said the world has witnessed unprecedented disparities when it comes to having access to the vaccine.
“We designed HexaPro to be a more stable antigen. In cell culture, this translated to a more than tenfold increased yield relative to the first-generation spike constructs used in current vaccines. If this holds for NDV-HXP-S, HexaPro will bring us a step closer towards addressing the wide disparity in vaccine access,” Kxan quoted Finkelstein as saying.
But there's still a long way to go. First, the clinical trials must determine that the new vaccine works on humans. The first phase of these trials will end in July and the final phase will take even more time. But if the vaccine is proved to be safe and effective on humans, manufacturers could potentially produce over a billion doses every year.
“It’s a home run for protection,” said Dr Bruce Innis of the PATH Center for Vaccine Innovation and Access, which has coordinated the development of NDV-HXP-S. “I think it’s a world-class vaccine,” NYT quoted Dr Bruce as saying.
First Published: Apr 6, 2021 8:51 PM IST
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