After multiple mutations of the virus, it challenges the domestic new crown vaccine to pass the world-class "big test"
On May 19, the World Health Organization (hereinafter referred to as WHO) announced that CanSino’s new crown vaccine was included in the global emergency use list. On May 20, the international medical journal “The Lancet Respiratory Medicine” published CanSino’s new crown vaccine for inhalation. latest research results.
In just one week, the domestically produced new crown vaccine has been "strongly endorsed" by the WHO and the "Lancet" one after another.
Yu Xuefeng, co-founder, chairman and CEO of CanSino Biotechnology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as CanSino), said in an exclusive interview with a reporter from Science and Technology Daily on May 25 that CanSino’s new crown vaccine has experienced the challenge of multiple mutations of the virus. The currently popular mutant strain Omicron still has high protective efficacy.
The new crown vaccine for inhalation is safe and can induce higher levels of neutralizing antibodies than inactivated vaccine homologous boosting. It is expected to become the preferred choice for new crown vaccine booster vaccination.
64% overall protection against Omicron
"The emergency use list is an ultimate goal or certification, and the review by the expert committee is to verify the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine through a series of high-standard and rigorous processes." Yu Xuefeng said, "I think this is very important for our Chinese vaccine companies. It means a lot, it means we are recognized and live our values - putting the health and safety of people first."
At present, there are more than 120 new crown vaccine products in clinical trials around the world, but only 11 have received emergency authorization from the WHO.
CanSino's new crown vaccine is included in the global emergency use list, which means that it has passed the world-class "big test" in the evaluation of quality, safety, effectiveness, risk management planning, program applicability and on-site production.
What is even more commendable is that CanSino’s new crown vaccine adopts the third-generation vaccine technology.
This vaccine has experienced the challenge of multiple mutations of the virus. The latest clinical data show that it still has a high protective effect against the currently circulating mutant strain Omicron.
"Based on the Phase III clinical data, the overall protective efficacy of CanSino vaccine against Omicron reached 64%, and the severe protection rate exceeded 92%." Yu Xuefeng said.
"After the intramuscular vaccine was launched, we have carried out research work on mucosal immunity through inhalation administration." Yu Xuefeng introduced, "CanSino inhaled new crown vaccine can not only stimulate humoral and cellular immunity, but also efficiently induce mucosal immunity. , to achieve triple protection effect.”
An article published by The Lancet shows that CanSino inhaled sequential booster immunization with the new crown vaccine can induce higher levels of neutralizing antibody levels than the inactivated vaccine homologous booster.
55 days of successful development thanks to five innovative platforms
It is no surprise to Yu Xuefeng that CanSino’s new crown vaccine has been authorized by WHO for emergency use and included in the global emergency use list.
As early as the outbreak of the new crown pneumonia in 2020, Yu Xuefeng decided to concentrate the company's core R&D resources and funds to "hard" the new crown virus. His goal was to synchronize China's vaccine technology with the world, and to develop and produce safe and effective new crown vaccines.
CanSino, a domestically produced new crown vaccine that rivals international vaccine giants such as Merck, Johnson & Johnson, and GlaxoSmithKline, was successfully developed in only 55 days at first, and was the first in the world to enter the clinical stage.
Such innovation capability is inseparable from CanSino’s continuous and massive investment in R&D and innovation over the past 13 years. The five cores it has built are adenovirus vector technology, synthetic vaccine technology, protein structure design and recombination technology, mRNA technology and preparation and drug delivery technology. The technology platform supports CanSino's vaccine technology to keep pace with the world.
"CanSino's technology platform allows us to quickly start the development of vaccines. For example, for the Omicron variant, we only need to understand its mutation and sequence, whether it is an adenovirus vector platform or an mRNA technology platform. Corresponding work can be started soon." Yu Xuefeng revealed that in addition to inhaled vaccines, CanSino has also been approved and is conducting clinical trials of mRNA new crown vaccines.
"As a 'newcomer' in the field of vaccines, WHO's certification provides CanSino with an opportunity to gain widespread recognition. I hope CanSino can use its own technology platform to develop new technologies and expand into new fields." Yu Xuefeng He said that he has a longer-term plan for technological innovation. For example, the adenovirus vector platform can be extended to the field of gene therapy, and the mRNA technology platform can also enter other fields and be more widely used.
From starting from scratch to gradually stepping onto the international stage, the company has always adhered to innovation and research and development as the core of development, and has taken every step from scientific research, clinical to industrialization, quality control, and commercialization.
The growth of CanSino is also a microcosm of the continuous innovation and progress of Chinese vaccine companies.
Yu Xuefeng finally said that from the first day of its establishment, CanSino has been positioned as a global vaccine supplier rooted in China. This path and goal will not change, because vaccines are the most basic and most effective tool to protect human health.