Vietnamese and British scientists have begun animal testing on a potential coronavirus vaccine, joining a crowded global race to develop the first effective protection against Covid-19.
A potential coronavirus vaccine developed through a partnership between Vietnam and the U.K. is being tested on mice for two weeks before further evaluation. The Covid-19 vaccine was developed after scientists successfully generated the novel coronavirus antigen in the lab, said Dr. Do Tuan Dat, President of the Company for Vaccine and Biological Production No.1 (VABIOTECH) in Hanoi. Antigen units are the most important ingredient in vaccine production, helping the body process antigens and develop the immune response needed to fight off the virus.
Dat said the vaccine will be tested further in animals and evaluated for safety and effectiveness before a manufacturing process is embarked on. This methodical approach is standard in vaccine development, where skipping steps can lead to dangerous consequences. Scientists must first prove the candidate is safe in animal models before any human trials can begin.
The vaccine has been developed by collaborating scientists at VABIOTECH and the U.K.'s Bristol University. This international partnership reflects a broader trend in pandemic response, where borders and institutional rivalries have given way to cooperation in the face of a shared threat.
A vaccine is said to be the most effective way to fight against a viral disease. Produced from weakened virus or a protein or other small "pieces" taken from it, a vaccine trains the body's immune system to fight the disease it has not come into contact with before. Without a widely available vaccine, societies remain dependent on social distancing, lockdowns, and contact tracing, measures that carry enormous economic and social costs.
After testing the VABIOTECH vaccine in mice for two weeks, scientists will conduct blood tests on the animal, sending samples to the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology. These results will determine whether the antigen triggers sufficient antibody production and whether the formulation is safe enough to move to the next stage of testing.
According to the institute, it will take at least 12-18 months to develop a Covid-19 vaccine that can work safely on human. That timeline has not stopped dozens of teams from pushing forward at unprecedented speed.
There are currently no approved vaccines or medication for Covid-19, which has killed nearly 245,000 people worldwide and infected almost 3.5 million. Around 150 Covid-19 vaccine development projects are being conducted worldwide, ranging from early-stage lab work to advanced clinical trials.
Human trials are underway at Oxford University in England for a coronavirus vaccine made from a chimpanzee virus, and in the U.S. for a different vaccine. In China, a firm is said to be ready for testing and mass production. The sheer number of parallel efforts is encouraging, because vaccine development has a high failure rate. Historically, the majority of candidates that enter clinical trials never make it to market. Having dozens of shots on goal improves the odds that at least one will succeed.
For Vietnam, developing a domestic vaccine capability carries particular significance. As a country of over 95 million people, securing enough doses from foreign manufacturers during a global scramble would be a logistical and financial challenge. A homegrown vaccine would give Vietnam greater control over supply and distribution, and could also serve neighboring countries in Southeast Asia that face similar constraints.
The coming months will reveal whether the VABIOTECH candidate proves viable in animal studies. If the mouse trials show promise, the next hurdle will be scaling production while maintaining quality, a challenge that has tripped up many vaccine projects before.
News source: VnExpress
