A new generation of corona vaccines.. will turn an enemy into a friend

Corona vaccines are still at the top of the world’s attention after trials of the next generation of COVID-19 vaccines began in London, with the first dose of a new vaccine being administered, which is a nasal spray developed by the American company Codagenix, in a quarantine facility in London, according to what was announced on Monday morning. .

“It is one of the first next-generation, needle-free, intranasal, single-dose, live attenuated COVID-19 vaccines,” Cathal Frey, CEO of Open Orphan that runs the trials, said in a statement.

To get to the finish line, the vaccine will need to be proven safe and effective in three phased, phased trials, a process that can take several months.

But this vaccine, called COVI-VAC, is different from the currently commercially available vaccines. Robert Coleman, CEO of Codagenix, explains that it uses "a weakened form of the virus that will not cause illness but will generate a strong immune response."

"Historically, live attenuated vaccines have been very effective, providing long-lasting, broad-spectrum immunity usually based on a single dose," he adds.

Efficacy against virus mutation

At the same time, Coleman said, "current mRNA and VLP-based vaccines target only the spike protein, which limits the range of antibodies that can be produced."

Sybil Tasker, MD, chief medical officer of Codagenix, noted that COVI-VAC could be more effective in combating mutated strains of the virus that may emerge in the future, ABC News reported.

He continues: "As a live attenuated vaccine, COVI-VAC has the potential to provide a broader immune response compared to other COVID-19 vaccines that target only a portion of the virus, which may be critical as new types of SARS-CoV-2 emerge."

From enemy to friend

COVI-VAC was developed using an algorithm that essentially recodes viral genes.

"Slow and inefficient translation of viral genes is induced in the human cell in a process that Codagenix refers to as de-optimization," Coleman explains.

He adds: “We enter the sequence of the target virus into our algorithm and the program digitally deactivates the viral gene. We then synthesize the corresponding DNA and swap or insert it into the genome of the natural virus. This essentially turns the natural virus from enemy to friend, making it harmless but able to generate a broad immune response.”

The use of live attenuated virus in a vaccine is not new. Most of the vaccines we got as children are called live attenuated vaccines. “It can cause an infection but it does so so weakly that there is no danger of it, but immunity is generated in the same way as a normal virus,” says Ian Jones, professor of virology at the University of Reading.

He continues: "The main problem has historically been that making the breed weak requires a lot of trial and error, but the new approach enables the desired weakness to be obtained in one step."

Because the Codagenix vaccine uses a weakened form of the live virus, there is a small chance that volunteers will be able to transmit the virus in the community or even suffer some disease. But to mitigate these potential risks, the trials are taking place in a secure quarantine facility in east London.

"It's an extra level of caution," Andrew Catchpole, chief scientific officer in charge of the trials, told ABC News, adding that "there are no regulatory requirements for testing the vaccine in a quarantine facility."

Coleman noted that Codagenix "sought to establish an inpatient facility, with expertise in live vaccines and viruses, and an on-site laboratory to conduct the first human evaluation of COVI-VAC to allow comprehensive evaluation of product safety and real-time monitoring of volunteers."

The first small group of healthy young adult volunteers will be given the dose by squirting it into their nose, then closely monitored and tested regularly. The trial will follow the standard dose escalation methodology.

long lasting immunity

Unlike licensed vaccines, Codagenix believes its vaccine can provide long-term immunity against COVID-19, with only one or two lifetime doses, similar to the MMR or chickenpox vaccine.

But it's still early days, with hurdles ahead for the new vaccine and further stages of clinical trials. “This study will facilitate the transition to phase XNUMX clinical studies to test efficacy,” explains the chief scientific officer of the trials.

However, Codagenix is ​​confident in the efficacy of its vaccine, and has worked at what it calls "lightning speed" to reach this stage, and has cooperated with the largest vaccine producer in the world, Serum Institute of India.

As soon as it became clear that SARS-CoV-2 was a global problem, our scientists began working to produce a live, attenuated vaccine against it, the company says. And with our global partner, Serum Institute of India, we are committed to serving the unmet needs for protection from COVID-19, especially in low-income countries around the world.”

The CEO of Codagenix hopes that the simplicity of administering this vaccine once it's injected into someone's nose, and its ease of production and transmission, will play a role in making it a major player in the world's battle against C