Scientists discovered vaccine for corona virus disease. "It can be mass-produced", researchers say
A fingertip-sized patch could be a potential vaccine for corona virus, researchers say.
Scientists suggest that when tested in mice, it produced antibodies specific to Covid-19 in quantities thought to be sufficient for neutralizing the virus. The vaccine is described in a paper published in EBioMedicine, which is published by The Lancet, and is thought to be the first to be reviewed by other scientists.
Researchers at the University Of Pittsburgh School Of Medicine say they were able to act quickly because they had laid the groundwork during earlier corona virus epidemics.
Co-senior author Andrea Gambotto, associate professor of surgery at the university, said: "We had previous experience on Sars-CoV in 2003 and Mers-CoV in 2014.
The lab had previously worked on Sars-CoV and Mers-CoV.
"These two viruses, which are closely related to Sars-CoV-2, teach us that a particular protein, called a spike protein, is important for inducing immunity against the virus. We knew exactly where to fight this new virus.
"That's why it's important to fund vaccine research. You never know where the next pandemic will come from."
The researchers say their vaccine candidate follows a more established approach compared to the experimental mRNA vaccine candidate that has entered clinical trials in Seattle.
They have called their drug PittCoVacc, short for Pittsburgh Corona virus Vaccine, and it uses lab-made pieces of viral protein to build immunity - the same way that current flu jabs work.
The researchers also used a novel approach to deliver the drug, called a microneedle array, to increase potency.
This array is a fingertip-sized patch of 400 tiny needles that delivers the spike protein pieces into the skin, where the immune reaction is strongest.
The patch is applied like a plaster and then the needles, which are made entirely of sugar and the protein pieces, simply dissolve into the skin.
The researchers have called their drug PittCoVacc, short for Pittsburgh Corona virus Vaccine.
"And it's actually pretty painless - it feels kind of like Velcro."
Researchers say their system can be mass produced, and once manufactured, the vaccine can sit at room temperature until it is needed, eliminating the need for refrigeration during transport or storage.
