There was an encouraging article in yesterday's New York Times by David D. Kirkpatrick about an Oxford research group that has made important strides in testing a coronavirus vaccine. You can find the article here. (I've liked the the article posted with the Seattle Times, since the New York Times only allows a limited amount of free access, and some people may have exceeded that.)
Among the things that the story notes is that the team has had a slight head-start on other research due to past research projects they've done on other coronavirus vaccines. In this case, they are at the point where they tested their vaccine on six rhesus macaque monkeys -- a type of monkey that's closest to humans -- and then exposed them to heavy quantities of the virus...and none have have contracted the disease. Similarly, they have previous exposed 28 monkeys to the same virus, but without the vaccine, and all showed symptoms. Much more clinical testing is needed, particularly on humans to determine both the safety and efficacy of the vaccine. But if all goes well, then conceivably it could pass approval as early as late September. They have already scheduled clinical tests on over 6,000 people by the end of next month. “'It is a very, very fast clinical program,' said Emilio Emini, a director of the vaccine program at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which is providing financial support to many competing efforts." The article makes clear that it's still important that the other studies are continuing, if only to increase the pipeline for distributing a vaccine. Also, it's likely that different vaccines could be needed for different groups of people -- the elderly or young, for instance. What's also encouraging is that they say even if, in the end, this vaccine can get approved, so much has been learned about the nature of the coronavirus and of people's immune system towards it that this study's results will be very helpful to other research. "All of the others will face the same challenges," the article reports, "including obtaining millions of dollars in funding, persuading regulators to approve human tests, demonstrating a vaccine’s safety and — after all of that — proving its effectiveness in protecting people from the coronavirus." But it certainly appears to be an encouraging leap forward.
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AuthorRobert J. Elisberg is a political commentator, screenwriter, novelist, tech writer and also some other things that I just tend to keep forgetting. Feedspot Badge of Honor
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