Army researchers say they’ve developed a vaccine that shows promise against the coronavirus and its variants after two years of work.
The Walter Reed Army Institute of Research recently finished phase 1 human trials and the data, which should be published within weeks, is expected to show success against omicron and other strains, Dr. Kayvon Modjarrad, director of Walter Reed’s infectious diseases branch, told Defense One.
The vaccine, which still must go through late-stage trials, has a soccer-ball-shaped protein with two dozen “faces” that allow scientists to test multiple strains against it.
“We decided to take a look at the long game rather than just only focusing on the original emergence of [the coronavirus], and instead understand that viruses mutate, there will be variants that emerge, future viruses that may emerge in terms of new species. Our platform and approach will equip people to be prepared for that,” Dr. Modjarrad told Defense One.
A Dec. 16 press release from Army officials said the vaccine protected non-human primates from disease caused by the original strain of the coronavirus and sparked neutralizing antibody responses.
Scientists said early trials took a long time because they needed to find people who weren’t vaccinated or previously infected.
It’s unclear when the vaccine would be available to the public if it succeeds in phase 2 and 3 trials.
Walter Reed scientists told Defense One they will see how the shots interact with people previously infected or immunized with a different vaccine. They also are looking for an industry partner to help them develop the shots.
The U.S. has been using a set trio of vaccines for the past year — vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna that use messenger-RNA and one from Johnson & Johnson that relies on an inactivated virus, or adenovirus, platform.
A protein-based vaccine from Novavax, a Maryland-based company, is winning approval abroad and could be submitted to U.S. regulators soon.
For more information, visit The Washington Times COVID-19 resource page.
Health, The New York Today
