Chinese COVID-19 vaccine candidate shows promise in
animal tests
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[July 24, 2020]
BEIJING (Reuters) - Animal tests of a potential COVID-19 vaccine being
developed by Chinese researchers show it triggers an immune response
against the novel coronavirus, offering some promise as it goes into
early-stage human trials, according to a peer-reviewed study https://www.cell.com/action/showPdf?pii=S0092-8674%2820%2930932-6
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ARCoV is a messenger RNA vaccine which uses technology similar to
candidates being developed by Moderna and BioNtech and Pfizer. It is
the second potential COVID-19 vaccine that China's military-backed
research unit has moved into clinical trials.
Results of trials of ARCoV in mice and monkeys, published in the
peer-reviewed medical journal Cell on Thursday, show both single and
two-dose inoculations induced strong antibody and T-cell responses
against several COVID-19-causing virus strains.
However, researchers conducting the trial cautioned they were not
yet able to see how long the ARCoV-induced antibodies might last or
how strong their protection might be to other strains that cause
COVID-19 but were not tested in the study.
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ARCoV is stable at 25°C (77°F) for at least a week, researchers said, which
could make it more attractive for potential immunisation campaigns in
hard-to-reach populations in places where cold-chain storage and transportation
are not always reliable.
While no COVID-19 vaccine has been approved for sale yet, more than 150 are in
development globally with an aim to help end the global pandemic that has
claimed over 600,000 lives. But whether any will succeed remains far from clear.
(Reporting by Roxanne Liu and Tony Munroe in Beijing, editing by Kate Kelland
and Himani Sakar)
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