Hyderabad: In the wake of spurt in cases of coronavirus across the world, Harvard Medical School researchers based at Massachusetts Eye and Ear and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) have announced progress towards the testing and development of an experimental vaccine called AAVCOVID.
The AAVCOVID is a novel gene-based vaccine candidate against SARS-CoV2, the virus that causes COVID-19. It is a unique, gene-based vaccine strategy that uses adeno-associated viral (AAV) vector, a clinically established gene transfer technology leveraging the properties of a harmless viral carrier.
It is to be noted that AAV is used to deliver genetic sequences of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike antigen so the body can develop an immune response to the coronavirus.
This technology has been used extensively in the field of gene therapy, and substantial experience and capacity exist for manufacturing and clinical use of AAV-based medicines.
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Speaking about this vaccine, Luk H. Vandenberghe, director of the Grousbeck Gene Therapy Center at Massachusetts Eye and Ear and Associate Professor of Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School, said that it is currently in preclinical development with a plan to begin clinical testing in humans later this year.
“AAV is a superior technology for safe and efficient gene delivery, and the unique technologies we are applying in AAVCOVID support the potential for a potent immunity to be induced to SARS-CoV-2 from a single injection," he said.
Vandenberghe and his laboratory began work on the vaccine in mid-January following the Wuhan outbreak and the first publication of genetic sequences of the new coronavirus.
“In a crisis, we can harness the power of molecular biology and develop a draft of a vaccine in weeks, and that’s what was done here. Now, clinical studies are needed to establish safety and efficacy of our novel approach,” Vandenberghe added.
AAV is also a rapidly adaptable technology. If a new strain of the SARS-CoV-2 virus emerges, the genetic code inside the AAVCOVID vaccine can be exchanged for an updated genetic code and processed into an updated vaccine in weeks, according to the researchers.
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The AAVCOVID vaccine candidate will be administered by intramuscular injection. Currently, tests are underway in animal models, and initial manufacturing activities have begun. Based on the preclinical findings, one or more candidates will advance into the clinical phase of testing in humans.
Speaking further on this, Joan Miller, the David Glendenning Cogan Professor of Ophthalmology at HMS and chief of ophthalmology at Mass. Eye and Ear, said, "This is what innovation looks like. It is a combination of both the scientific insight of Vandenberghe and his team as well as the nimble and collaborative spirit of the institutions and donors who have come together to move this program from idea to promising vaccine candidate at lightning speed."
The team is advised by experts at Mass General and the Mass General Brigham Innovation Fund and includes the involvement of experts from industry with experience in vaccine development, regulatory affairs and manufacturing.
It is pertinent to mention here that the research is funded by philanthropic support led by Wyc Grousbeck, Emilia Fazzalari and others.
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