![Covid-19: towards a new vaccine to stimulate immunity?](https://img.passeportsante.net/1000x526/2021-09-01/covid-nouveau-vaccin-dose-rappel.jpeg)
Scientists have designed a vaccine that successfully targets cells that play a key role in the immune system. The results, published in the journal Nature Communications, demonstrate that the vaccine candidate is effective against the coronavirus and its variants in preclinical models. How does it work ? When do human trials begin?
Innovative vaccine technology
The vaccination campaign continues in France and Europe, where 70% of the adult population is now fully vaccinated, according to the President of the European Commission. However, with the variants which can constitute a full-fledged epidemic on their own, questions remain as to the duration of immunity conferred by the vaccine or following infection with the virus and the need to inject a vaccine. booster dose. According to experts, it is essential to continue research on potential vaccines, to “ vaccinate billions of people ” in order to ” regain control of the pandemic “.
This is why researchers from the National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm) and the University of Paris-Est Créteil at the Vaccine Research Institute have developed a vaccine that targets key cells of the immune system. , called dendritic cells. For this vaccine candidate, the monoclonal antibody will fuse with a protein from the Sars-Cov-2 coronavirus in order to stimulate dendritic cells. This technology is also currently being used in a phase I clinical trial as part of a preventive vaccine against HIV.
A single dose to boost antibody production
First, the researchers wanted to test the abilities of their vaccine candidate to trigger anti-Covid-19 booster responses in convalescent macaques who contracted the disease six months previously. On the one hand, the tolerance is rather good and the efficacy seems strong, because the vaccine induces a strong increase in neutralizing antibodies. On the other hand, convalescent and vaccinated animals again exposed to the virus “ have an undetectable viral load or clear the virus within a shorter time (less than three days). In addition, the vaccine candidate protects animals from post-infectious pulmonary complications. The advantage of this serum is that researchers have already adapted it “ so that it is effective against new variants identified in recent months. ”
This vaccine could therefore not only improve the vaccines already available, but also serve as a booster, to re-stimulate the production of neutralizing antibodies. Also, “ one dose of this vaccine provides better protection against reinfection than natural immunity. “It could also be useful” for vulnerable people or for vaccination of children “, due ” good knowledge of the safety of subunit vaccines. Human clinical trials are expected to begin in 2022.