Chinanews client, Beijing, September 17 (Reporter Zhang Ni) Recently, the nasal spray influenza virus carrier new crown vaccine jointly developed by Xiamen University, Hong Kong University and Beijing Wantai Biotechnology officially started clinical trials.
Compared with the traditional intramuscular vaccine, what is the difference between this nasal spray vaccine?
The picture shows the nasal spray influenza virus vector new crown vaccine, courtesy of Beijing Wantai Biotechnology
What is the difference between the nasal spray vaccine?
The nasal spray influenza virus vector new coronavirus vaccine is to insert new coronavirus gene fragments into the influenza virus vector to make a live virus vector vaccine, thereby stimulating the human body to produce an immune response to the new coronavirus.
Divided from the technical route, this type of vaccine is an attenuated influenza virus vector vaccine.
Chen Honglin, the head of the R&D team and a professor at the University of Hong Kong, revealed in a written reply to China News Agency that the R&D team has been developing an influenza virus vector system since 2012, and first made a MERS coronavirus vaccine for animal testing.
After the outbreak of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, the R&D team immediately used the vaccine system to prepare the new crown vaccine, and made vaccine seeds in early February 2020.
"In simple terms, it is to transform the influenza virus, knock out part of the influenza virus gene, and then replace it with a new coronavirus gene, and this gene is currently not mutated." Beijing Wantai Biopharmaceutical Co., Ltd. General Manager Qiu Zixin explained in an interview with a reporter from Chinanews.com.
In addition, from the perspective of vaccination methods, the biggest difference is that, unlike the traditional intramuscular injection, the nasal spray vaccine is inoculated through the nasal cavity.
"The human body has mucosal cells in the nasal cavity. The attenuated virus in the vaccine enters the lungs through the nasal cavity and stimulates the mucosal cells to produce cellular immunity, thereby preventing the infection of the new coronavirus."
Qiu Zixin analyzed that, unlike intramuscular vaccines, nasal spray vaccines have a different mechanism for inducing immunity.
The nasal spray vaccine simulates the natural infection route of respiratory viruses and mainly induces protective T cell responses. The intramuscular vaccine mainly induces the body's immune system to produce antibodies in the blood.
"The nasal spray vaccine provides another channel of protection through cellular immunity. This technical route has been explored internationally, and nasal spray influenza vaccines have also come out before. Researchers hope to explore the formation of immune protection through the respiratory tract, which is established The first line of defense." He emphasized.
Regarding the safety of the vaccine, Chen Honglin said that the vaccine system of the University of Hong Kong is based on influenza virus, which is of the same nature as the nasal spray influenza vaccine, with very high safety, and there should be no obvious clinical symptoms.
The picture shows the nasal spray flu virus carrier new crown vaccine storage refrigerator Chinanews reporter Zhang Ni
The time to market has not yet been determined, the annual output may reach hundreds of millions of doses
The time to market for the new crown vaccine has always been a topic of greatest concern to the public.
Regarding this issue, Chen Honglin previously revealed that the vaccine is currently entering the first phase of clinical trials, hosted by Xiamen University and Beijing Wantai Biology, in Jiangsu, and it is expected to take one month.
The second and third phases of clinical trials will be conducted thereafter, and the team plans to conduct clinical trials in Hong Kong before the end of this year.
If all goes well, mass production will not proceed until approval is obtained.
The reporter also learned from Beijing Wantai Biotech that since the nasal spray influenza virus vector new crown vaccine has just started clinical trials, the specific time to market has not yet been determined.
However, the company said that it will work hard to advance the follow-up process.
In terms of production capacity, Beijing Wantai Biotech is also considering planning to build a new workshop to produce the new crown vaccine to meet the public's vaccination needs in the future.
Qiu Zixin told reporters that at present, Wantai Biotech's production workshop in Beijing is mainly used for varicella vaccine. After the company's new crown vaccine is put into production, the production line can be directly used for production. If the demand is greater, the company will consider building a special workshop.
"The new workshop layout must be made in accordance with the annual output of hundreds of millions of doses. Of course, these must be coordinated according to the government's needs." Qiu Zixin emphasized that the later industrialization scale of the company will refer to government requirements.
The picture shows the technicians at work in the pilot plant of Beijing Wantai Biology.
Photo by Zhang Ni, reporter from China News Service
The new crown vaccine is getting closer!
Zheng Zhongwei, director of the Science and Technology Development Center of the National Health Commission and leader of the vaccine research and development team of the Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism Research Team of the State Council, previously introduced that since February, China has laid out 5 new crown vaccine technology routes and identified 12 research and development The unit will make every effort to promote vaccine research.
Specifically, the five main technical routes are inactivated vaccines, subunit vaccines, adenovirus vector vaccines, attenuated influenza virus vector vaccines and nucleic acid vaccines.
Today, these five technical routes have achieved "entry into full coverage of clinical trials", which also indicates that ordinary people are getting closer and closer to vaccines.
In addition, China has officially launched the emergency use of the new crown vaccine on July 22.
Beijing has also become the first city to launch an emergency vaccine program.
Outside of China, scientific research teams in many countries are also stepping up research and development of their own vaccines.
For example, according to reports, the United Kingdom has recently stated that it will test the inhaled new crown vaccine and conduct clinical trials on two new coronavirus vaccines under development by spraying into the respiratory tract.
These two vaccines were developed by Imperial College and University of Oxford respectively, and are currently undergoing intramuscular clinical trials.
Imperial College said in a statement a few days ago that spraying the new crown vaccine into the respiratory tract may trigger a local and more specific immune response.
In addition, according to previous studies, the inhaled type is smaller than the intramuscular injection in terms of the vaccine dose required to trigger an immune response.
According to the global vaccine research and development data report released by the World Health Organization, as of September 3, a total of 176 new crown vaccine products are being developed around the world, of which 34 vaccines have entered clinical trials, 8 vaccines have entered clinical trials, while China The products developed by the enterprise account for 4 products.
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