Novavax Begins Phase 1 Clinical Trial Of Coronavirus Vaccine Candidate; Here's What Makes It Different

The initial phase of the trial has been started on 131 volunteers in Melbourne and Brisbane which will look into the effectiveness and safety of the vaccine.

(Representative Image/ Getty)

New Delhi: After US biotech firm Moderna vaccine candidate has yielded promising results against Coronavirus, another Maryland-based biotechnology company Novavax has announced starting human trials of a vaccine and expects to release a tested vaccine by this year. Almost a dozen of companies are in early stages of vaccine developments, and countries such as China, the US and Europe are vigorously working on developing the vaccine which has infected over 5.49 million people worldwide claiming 346,232 lives. According to World Health Organization, there are at least 10 vaccines in clinical trials. Two other companies, Moderna and BioNTech, in a partnership with Pfizer, have already begun clinical trials of Covid-19 vaccines. However, these companies are developing mRNA vaccines, whose success is still far away. Those vaccines use mRNA which helps the body to create similar copies of coronaviruses called “spike protein” which in return stimulate an immune response. What is Novavax trial all about? In April the company has said it identified the candidate, NVX-CoV2373, which it planned to use its Matrix-M adjuvant for improving immune responses. Adjuvants are chiefly used to develop vaccines with strong immune response, including through the greater production of antibodies to offer a lasting protection against viral and bacterial infection. According to Dr Gregory Glenn, Novavax’s research chief, the company has now started with the initial phase of the trial, on 131 volunteers in Melbourne and Brisbane. The test will look into the effectiveness and safety of the vaccine. In the case of Novavax, it is also developing a similar one called “subunit” vaccine, which feeds copies of the virus’ spike protein into the body to create an immune response. However, the company has added new kind to that list namely a recombinant vaccine. It has used genetic engineering to grow harmless copies of the coronavirus spike protein in giant vats of insect cells in a laboratory. It is then extracted, purified, and packaged into virus-sized nanoparticles. The preliminary immunogenicity and safety results from the trial are expected in July. The company has said that Phase 2 portion of the trial will be conducted in several countries, including the United States once the Phase 1 has been successful. It added that the Phase 2 trial will assess immunity, safety, and Covid-19 reduction in a broader age range.