Of the eight vaccines against the coronavirus now being tested in humans, the one from the Chinese company CanSino has the first. The company published the first study results in humans in The Lancet. And the results are positive – the vaccine is working. But the road is still long.
The research took place among 108 healthy volunteers aged 18 to 60 years. After two weeks, the participants’ immune systems started to fight against the coronavirus and after 28 weeks, most people had developed antibodies against the coronavirus. So the vaccine does indeed work, these initial results show, which is hopeful news in the search for a vaccine that protects against Covid-19.
Effects
Three doses of the vaccine have been tested. The highest dose worked the best, but it also produced the most side effects. Side effects included pain at the injection site, fever, headache, fatigue and muscle aches. Roughly 80% of the people had a side effect within a week after the injection.
Cells or mice
More than 100 vaccines are now being developed worldwide against the coronavirus, in the hopes that they will protect against Covid-19. Most vaccines are still being tested on cells or laboratory animals such as mice. There is a good chance that they will not make it to the finish line. Of the eight vaccines that are already being tested in humans, four come from China. There is therefore a good chance that a company from China will be the first to market vaccines against the corona virus.
The vaccine from CanSino and the Beijing Institute of Biotechnology targets the spines on the exterior of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. A defused adenovirus acts like a courier, bringing this antibody where it needs to be: into the cells. More such adenovirus vaccines are in the pipeline. The special thing about this research is that it shows that the system works with the adenovirus. Even people who already had resistance to adenoviruses responded well to this vaccine.
Fast, fast, fast
Scientists worldwide are busy researching a medicine or vaccine against the corona virus. They therefore share research results quickly and with everyone. Speed takes precedence over accuracy and that can sometimes lead to premature conclusions. Then cheers too early. This happened, for example, after a French study into chloroquine in covid-19 was published, de Volkskrant wrote. That had not yet been properly researched, but French President Macron and US President Trump were already cheering. It has now become known that chloroquine has more side effects than effectiveness against corona disease.
Follow-up research
Are we again at risk of celebrating too early? Time will tell. In the coming period, more comments will appear on this research and we will learn more about the value of the results. The researchers have already started working on the next phase: of the research into this vaccine. This takes place with five hundred test subjects, with a comparison with placebo. The results of this are expected in January 2021.
Source: The Lancet, Volkskrant
