An inactivated novel coronavirus vaccine called BBIBP-CorV from a Chinese team has shown great potential in animal studies.
The vaccine is highly effective and safe, inducing high levels of neutralizing antibody titers in mice, rats, guinea pigs, rabbits and non-human primates (crab-eating monkeys and rhesus monkeys), providing efficient protection against the novel coronavirus at 2 μg/dose.
Meanwhile, this candidate vaccine is the second important inactivated vaccine developed in China, increasing China's candidate vaccine selection.
The above results are from the paper Development of an inactivated vaccine candidate, BBIBP-CorV, with potent protection against SARS-CoV-2, published online on June 6, local time, in the international prestigious academic journal CELL.
The paper was authored by Gao Fu, academician and director of CDC, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Qin Chuan, director of the Institute of Experimental Animal Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences; Tan Wenjie, director of the Emergency Technology Center, Institute of Viral Diseases, CDC; Lou Zhiyong, professor at Tsinghua University; Li Changgui, researcher at the China Institute of Food and Drug Testing and Certification; and Wu Guizhen, chief biosafety expert and party secretary of the Institute of Viral Diseases, CDC.
The researchers detailed the experimental production of a SARS-CoV-2 inactivated vaccine candidate (BBIBP-CorV), which induced high levels of neutralizing antibody titers to provide protection against SARS-CoV-2 in mice, rats, guinea pigs, rabbits, and non-human primates (crab-eating monkeys and rhesus monkeys).
In intratracheal immunization of rhesus monkeys, the use of 2 μg/dose of BBIBP-CorV provided efficient protection against SARS-CoV-2, and no antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) infection was detected.
In addition, BBIBP-CorV showed high productivity and good genetic stability in vaccine production.
Compared to SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV, SARS-CoV-2 appears to spread more rapidly, resulting in a more efficient protection against vaccine The urgent need. To date, three candidate vaccines (including an inactivated vaccine, an adenovirus vector vaccine and a DNA vaccine) have been reported to be effective. Different effects protect rhesus monkeys against SARS-CoV-2.
Inactivated vaccines are widely used for the prevention of emerging infectious diseases, and their rapid development is promising for the prevention of novel coronaviruses.
Notably, emerging evidence suggests the possibility of antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) of SARS-CoV infection, suggesting that special attention should be paid to safety evaluation in the development of coronavirus vaccines.
China's first inactivated novel coronavirus vaccine is from China National Biotec Group Company under the China National Pharmaceutical Group.
The China National Biotec Group Company said on April 14 that its new inactivated coronavirus vaccine has been tested in clinical trials in Jiaozuo, Henan province.
On the other hand, the adenovirus type 5 (Ad5) vector vaccine jointly developed by Academician Chen Wei's team at the Institute of Bioengineering, Institute of Military Medical Research, Academy of Military Sciences and China CanSino has also made significant progress.
In a paper published in The Lancet on the evening of May 22, local time, Chen Wei and other researchers reported phase 1 clinical data on the Ad5 vector COVID-19 vaccine used in healthy Chinese adults within 28 days after vaccination, and made a preliminary assessment of the safety, tolerability and immunogenicity of the vaccine.
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