[SBS Special] Virus VS Human Part 2-Vaccine X ① In

2018, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced a pathogen that could pose a threat to public health in the future. A disease that represents a new virus that has never been known. Now, mankind must prepare for the unknown infectious diseases that do not know when to emerge. And in 2020, two years later, the first disease X, 'Corona 19', was concerned.

Corona19 virus spread rapidly from Asia to Europe and the Americas due to its strong infectious power. The cumulative number of confirmed cases worldwide has exceeded 3.5 million, but the news of Corona 19's vaccine or treatment is still slow. When will the outbreaks of this virus unprecedented, including rapid spread, unobtainable mutations, and early asymptomatics emerge?

SBS Special provides an in-depth understanding of the Corona 19 virus and vaccine, focusing on the activities of developers who are fighting at the forefront of the development of Corona 19. It highlighted the violent number fight between the drug X and vaccine X developers to prepare for.

● The surest way to end the 'vaccine'

Since the outbreak of Corona 19, many scientists, research institutes and pharmaceutical companies have started to develop vaccines. Daily development launches and clinical trial articles are hopeful, but on the one hand, they are only questionable. Typical vaccine development period is about 5 to 10 years. How can such a quick study be conducted?

Experts have found in the Corona virus itself why the current development of the Corona 19 vaccine is relatively rapid. The SARS and MERS that are familiar to us are coronavirus family like corona19. In particular, Corona 19 and SARS have 86% of the same gene sequence. It is based on the genetic information of the pathogens that they have experienced before, and has started to develop rapidly.

Recently, pharmaceutical companies are paying attention to gene recombination technology. Gene recombination is a new method of technology that is more secure than traditional vaccines and the advantage of being able to start research more quickly. DNA vaccine research is already in full swing in various ways in Korea. E. coli is being developed by utilizing a single technique in a variety of ways, such as purifying the genetic material 'plasmid' to make a vaccine.

[Song Man-gi / Deputy Director of the International Vaccine Research Institute: Inducing collective immunity through vaccines can end the pandemic.] The

fastest- growing US pharmaceutical company started clinical trials in March. China has already progressed to Phase II clinical trials. The nation's fastest company announced that it will conduct clinical trials starting in June. Soon, will the vaccine of Corona 19 be developed soon, and can we expect the end of the virus?

● What is needed for patients right away is a cure,

but it is a vaccine, not a vaccine, that can cure confirmed patients who come out every day. However, experts say there is currently no cure for Corona 19.

[Cho Won-sik / Professor of Infectious Medicine, Korea University: No drug has been clinically proven to be effective against corona19 virus.] There

is increasing interest in treatment in the United States, where the world's largest number of corona19 deaths has occurred. Among them, Donald Trump's acclaimed treatment for malaria treatment 'Chloroquin' and Ebola treatment 'Lemdesivir' are typical. At the same time as the start of the study, the two drugs were mentioned as potential candidates for Corona19 treatment and attracted the attention of the media. As such, candidates for treatment are undergoing clinical trials faster than vaccine studies.

But how can I use the cure for other diseases as a cure for Corona19? There is a new strategy called 're-creation of drugs'. 'Drug re-creation' refers to the task of finding new functions that are effective in existing drugs. Most of them have already proven their safety, from common drugs on the market to new drug candidates. It is possible to shorten the existing drug development time, which requires long clinical trials and careful examination by various administrative agencies.

Pasteur Korea has reaffirmed about 3,000 drugs, including those approved by the FDA, to select several drugs that are effective against the Corona19 virus. A few of the candidates that had a distinctive effect were undertaken jointly with domestic pharmaceutical companies.

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has also established a 'High-Intensity Rapid Productization Promotion Program' for rapid treatment development. This is a system that shortens the development period by quickly reviewing permits for research on Corona 19 first. Everyone is devoted to development with an earnest heart. Can we think of the development of a therapeutic agent in front of us?

● Now it is a long-term battle… 'Social Vaccines'

Although no clear vaccines and treatments have been released, Korea has remained stable for about 10 more people in recent 10 days. In response, the government issued a easing guideline for social distance on April 20th. Many citizens came to the streets, and tourists are on the rise during the golden holiday in early May. Can I relax like this?

[Kwon Joon-wook / Deputy General Manager, Central Defense Countermeasures Division: The biggest danger signal in corona 19 response is vigilance.]

Dr. Hyo- jeong Lee of the National Institute of Repair Science studies the proliferation trend of corona 19 in Korea and future countermeasures. When can we expect to end? Dr. Hyo-jeong Lee takes the Ebola incident in 2014 as an example, and says that the declaration of the end of Corona 19 should be cautious. If you rush to end the declaration, there is a possibility that it will lead to the second large-scale spread. Then, when is the end of the corona19 that she predicted by mathematical calculations?

SBS Special examined the current status of the development of corona19 vaccines and treatments and the prospects of ending the virus.

(SBS New Media Department)   

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