Vaccines

CureVac, in collaboration with GSK, has announced that its second-generation Covid-19 vaccine candidate, CV2CoV, induces high levels of antigen production as well as strong and dose-dependent immune responses in vaccinated animals. CV2CoV is a co-development between CureVac and GSK and is based on a new mRNA backbone, which differs from CureVac’s first-generation vaccine candidate, CVnCoV, […]

Researchers have developed an effective vaccine that re-engineers cells from a patient’s tumour to target and destroy cancer cells. The results, published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Clinical Oncology, show that 45% of patients treated with an autologous cell vaccine, created from their own cancer cells, had a confirmed anti-tumour response. The findings provide more […]

The largest ever study of Covid-19 vaccine messaging shows that emphasising the personal benefits rather than collective of vaccination may be the most effective way to persuade people who are sceptical. Researchers from the University of Oxford, funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Oxford Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) and the Oxford Health […]

The Chief Executive of the UK’s Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI), Richard Torbett, has stressed the importance of investment in research in response to the Queen’s Speech delivery. “The response to the pandemic has shown just how critical the UK’s pharmaceutical industry is to our country’s future and the Queen’s Speech has set […]

Moderna has announced an agreement with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance to supply up to 500 million doses of the Covid-19 Vaccine Moderna, including an initial 34 million doses to be delivered in the fourth quarter of 2021. Through this agreement, on behalf of the COVAX Facility, Gavi also retains the option to procure 466 million […]

A study has found that a single dose of vaccine boosts protection against SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus variants, but only in those with previous Covid-19. In those who have not previously been infected and have so far only received one dose of vaccine, the immune response to variants of concern may be insufficient. The findings, published in […]

Moderna is to increase supply at its manufacturing facilities, which it expects will increase global 2022 capacity to up to 3 billion doses of its Covid-19 vaccine. This will depend upon the mix between the authorised Moderna Covid-19 vaccine at the 100 μg dose level and potentially lower doses of the company’s variant booster candidates […]

Dalton Pharma Services, a contract development and manufacturing organisation (CDMO) offers expertise in drug discovery, formulation and process development, custom synthesis, and GMP manufacturing services. Lu Rahman spoke to CEO, Peter Pekos about the company’s ongoing expertise. LR: The company has experience supplying the needs of the orphan drug field – how can Dalton help […]

A study assessing how people with immune system deficiencies or dysregulations respond to Covid-19 vaccination has begun enrolling participants at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. The single-site study is led by researchers from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and aims to enrol 500 people, 400 […]

Researchers from the University of Oxford and their partners have reported findings from a Phase IIb trial of a candidate malaria vaccine, R21/Matrix-M, which demonstrated high-level efficacy of 77% over 12-months of follow-up. In their findings (posted on SSRN/Preprints with The Lancet), they note that they are the first to meet the World Health Organization’s […]

Chemical specialist Evonik is helping to accelerate the production of the Covid-19 vaccine from Pfizer-BioNTech by suppling an essential component. Evonik is delivering first batches of urgently needed lipids for the mRNA-based vaccine to BioNTech months earlier than anticipated. Specialists at Evonik’s Hanau site set up the lipid production in eight weeks, meeting the high-quality […]

A notice released by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) on April 16, 2021 revealed that the Biden administration has reversed restrictions set in 2019 by the Trump administration on federal funding for medical research and biomedical studies by government employees using human fetal tissue from elective abortions. Health.com explains that fetal tissue has […]

Novavax has announced its participation in a newly expanded investigator-initiated Phase II clinical trial called Comparing Covid-19 Vaccine Schedule Combinations – Stage 2 (Com-COV2), to be conducted by the University of Oxford and supported by the UK Vaccines Taskforce. Novavax’ recombinant protein vaccine candidate, NVX-CoV2373, is one of four Covid-19 vaccines that will be studied […]

    This paid-for advertorial by Berkeley Lights appeared in DDW Volume 22, Issue 2 – Spring 2021 The Covid-19 pandemic has illuminated how a coordinated response to infectious diseases can result in the development and commercialisation of novel vaccines and therapies at record pace. Several therapeutic antibodies and vaccine candidates entered clinical trials in […]

RSV is a complicated virus, and traditional vaccine methods have not worked. But UW’s Institute for Protein Design may have solved the problem using computational design. With the help of an innovative computer program, Icosavax has constructed virus-like particles (VLPs) using a two-part assembly (like a soccer ball). Adam Simpson, CEO of Icosavax, talks to […]

A clinical trial is underway to determine whether people who are highly allergic or have a mast cell disorder are at increased risk for an immediate, systemic allergic reaction to the Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccines. A systemic allergic reaction to a vaccine occurs in one or more parts of the body beyond the injection […]