The Military’s COVID vaccine has been examined in mice, hamsters, primates and people.
Sgt. Tanis Kilgore/US Military
The latest dramatic spike in COVID-19 instances resulting from rise of the omicron variant has modified the that means of “fully vaccinated.” Many specialists at the moment are speaking about yearly COVID booster shots or variant-specific vaccines. However what if there have been a common coronavirus vaccine that protected towards omicron and all new COVID-19 variants?
A number of establishments — together with the College of Wisconsin, Duke College and Brigham and Girls’s Hospital in Boston — are researching “pan-coronavirus” vaccines, however the US Military is the primary to exhibit optimistic trial outcomes.
The Army recently announced that its pan-coronavirus vaccine, the spike ferritin nanoparticle COVID-19 vaccine (aka SpFN) had accomplished Section 1 of human trials. Publication of the outcomes is anticipated in January, relying on the completion of the official knowledge evaluation.
Dr. Kayvon Modjarrad, director of infectious illnesses at Walter Reed Military Institute of Analysis (WRAIR) and co-inventor of SpFN, informed Defense One, “We’re testing our vaccine towards all of the totally different variants, together with omicron,” the pressure causing breakthrough infections even in individuals who have acquired booster photographs.
We’ll share what we learn about pan-coronavirus vaccines and the Military’s COVID-19 vaccine, together with the way it works and when it might grow to be accessible.
For extra, find out about free at-home COVID tests, why you should not “just get COVID over with,” mixing and matching booster shots, and the difference between N95, KN95, and KF94 masks.
Why do we want a pan-coronavirus vaccine?
White Home Chief Medical Adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci not too long ago touted the significance of a common vaccine to guard towards all COVID variants. In an interview with NBC, Fauci stated a common COVID vaccine “would imply that the preliminary vaccination would cowl all of those little variants, so that you would not have to fret.”
“We wish a pan-coronavirus vaccine so that you’ve got it on the shelf to answer the following viral pandemic,” Fauci stated. “Finally, you need to get a vaccine that covers every little thing.”
Fauci’s group, the Nationwide Institute of Allergy and Infectious Ailments, dedicated huge to that aim in fall 2021, awarding $36.3 million to three academic organizations — Duke College, College of Wisconsin, and Boston’s Brigham and Girls’s Hospital — to develop and analysis pan-coronavirus vaccines. CalTech also has announced good early results for its common “mosaic nanoparticle” vaccine.
What’s the US Military COVID vaccine?
The three COVID-19 vaccines licensed proper now to be used within the US take two approaches to stopping an infection: The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines use mRNA to construct up immunity, whereas the Johnson & Johnson vaccine makes use of a innocent rhinovirus to coach the physique’s immune system to answer COVID.
The Spike Ferritin Nanoparticle COVID-19 vaccine, or SpFN, takes a 3rd strategy, utilizing a innocent portion of the COVID-19 virus to spur the physique’s defenses towards COVID.
SpFN additionally has much less restrictive storage and dealing with necessities than the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, permitting it for use in a greater diversity of conditions. It may be saved between 36 and 46 levels Fahrenheit for as much as six months and at room temperature for as much as one month, according to military scientists. Pfizer’s vaccine requires an ultracold freezer (between minus 112 and minus 76 levels F) for cargo and storage and is just stable for 31 days when saved in a fridge.
The Military’s vaccine has been examined with two photographs, 28 days aside, and likewise with a 3rd shot after six months.
How does the Military vaccine work towards COVID-19 and different coronaviruses?
The vaccines from Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson all goal the precise virus — SARS-CoV-2 — that causes COVID-19. However Military scientists designed their vaccine to guard towards future strains of COVID in addition to different coronaviruses.
The Military’s SpFN vaccine is formed like a soccer ball with 24 faces. Scientists can connect the spikes of a number of coronavirus strains to every of the totally different faces, permitting them to customise the vaccine for any new COVID variants that come up.
“The accelerating emergence of human coronaviruses all through the previous twenty years and the rise of SARS-CoV-2 variants, together with most not too long ago omicron, underscore the continued want for next-generation preemptive vaccines that confer broad safety towards coronavirus illnesses,” Modjarrad said in a December statement. “Our technique has been to develop a ‘pan-coronavirus’ vaccine expertise that would doubtlessly provide protected, efficient and sturdy safety towards a number of coronavirus strains and species.”
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When will the Army’s COVID vaccine be available?
No date has been set. SpFN successfully completed animal testing and wrapped Phase 1 of human trials in December, but it must still complete Phases 2 and 3 of human testing, when its safety and efficacy is compared to current vaccine options.
Normally, completing all three phases can take up to five years, but the urgency of the COVID-19 pandemic is speeding up the process. The Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines, for example, were tested, reviewed and authorized by the Food and Drug Administration over the course of one year.
What happens next with the Army SpFN vaccine?
After data from the Phase 1 human trials is collected, analyzed and published, Phase 2 and 3 trials will begin. There is very little information so far on when or how those trials will proceed or if the phases will overlap.
To follow the progress of the Army vaccine trials, visit the SpFN COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker provided by the US Army Medical Research and Development Command.
For more on COVID-19, here’s what we know about how the CDC defines being fully vaccinated, how to store your vaccine card on your phone, and what we still don’t know about the virus after two years.
The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objectives.
