Category Archives: Genetic Engineering

MIAMI, Florida With coronavirus (COVID-19) cases increasingdramatically in the United Statessome 435,000 cases as of Thursdaythe nation now has the most cases globally and is desperate for a drug to effectively treat the virus.

Unlike other forms of coronavirus, like the common cold and influenza, there is yet no proven medication to treat COVID-19. The possibility of a vaccine to treat the virus is at least a year away, according to most scientists best estimates.

In recent weeks, there have been claims, including from President Donald Trump and members of his administration, that a drug, hydroxychloroquine, normally used to treat malaria and lupus, is effective in treating COVID-19.

Two weeks ago, Trump at one of his coronavirus task-force press conferences, optimistically said the drug has potential as a drug to treat COVID-19. However, at the same press conference the top U.S. infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, while agreeing that the drug could have a positive effect with COVID-19 patients, cautioned that it needed to be tested before it can be generally prescribed for coronavirus.

Last Sunday at another coronavirus task-force press conference, President Trump again touted the use of hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19 although testing of the drug hasnt been completed.

What do I know, Im not a doctor, Trump said Sunday. But I have common sense. In promoting the use of the drug, the president has often stated, What have you got to lose?

One of the Trump administrations strongest backersof the drug is Trade Adviser Peter Navarro, who according to reports that surfaced after Sundays press conference, clashed with Dr. Fauci over the use of the drug. Dr. Fauci continuesto be concerned about recommending the drug based only on unscientific, or as he puts it anecdotalevidence.

Navarro, on the other hand, despite not having formal medical training, claimed in a CNN interview on Monday that reports of studies on the drugs use, which he had collected, were enough to recommend the drug widely.

The American Medical Associations president, Dr. Patrice Harris, also said she wouldnt prescribe the drug for coronavirus patients, because the risks of severe side effects were great and too significant to downplay without large studies showing the drug is safe and effective for such use.

Nonetheless, some doctors are actually prescribing Hydroxychloroquine to patients with COVID-19. Research studies are now beginning to test if the drugs truly help COVID-19 patients, and the Food and Drug Administration has allowed the medication as an option for doctors to consider for patients who cannot get into one of these studies.

Dr. Harris and other doctors claim the drug has serious side effects, especially affecting the heart rhythm, and still want more testing conducted before its clear that the drug works against the virus and where the side effects are concerned.

Cubas Interferon Alpha 2B

Meanwhile, a drug developed in Cuba has been proving to have positive results in treating COVID-19 patients. The drug, Interferon Alpha 2B, is among 22 drugs developed in Cuba since 1986 by its Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB) and used as a treatment for HIV-AIDS, hepatitis B and C, herpes zoster or shingles, dengue and different types of cancers.

It is also highly recommended by medical specialists for its ability to fight the COVID-19 virus. During the onset of the virus in Wuhan province, the Chinese authorities found it exceptional in destroying the virus from thousands of its citizens who contracted the disease at the earliest stages.

Since the success of this antiviral drug has become public knowledge, Cuba has been flooded with requests from across the globe, including, Africa, Europe, Latin, and South America and Caribbean nations.

Evidence tuberculosis vaccine BCG prevents COVID-19 infection

Recently reports surfaced that the BCG vaccine given to counter tuberculosis (TB) may provide protection against COVID-19 and significantly reduce death rates in countries, including most Caribbean countries,with high levels of this vaccination.

A study of 178 countries conducted by an Irish medical consultant in conjunction with epidemiologists at the University of Texas indicated countries with BCG vaccination programs have far fewer coronavirus cases by a factor 10, compared to countries without such programs.

The BCG vaccine is still widely used in developing countries, where scientists have found, along with preventing TB, it alsoprevents infant deaths from a variety of causes, and sharply reduces the incidence of respiratory infections like the coronavirus.

Most Caribbean-Americans residing in South Florida bearthe scars of the BCG vaccine on their upper arms, as the vaccine was and still is mandatory for attending public schools in the Caribbean.

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Tension Builds Over Drug To Treat COVID-19 - caribbeannationalweekly.com

If you cannot engineer the organism, engineer its microbiome.

Since scientists began exploring how to solve problems using synthetic biology, by focusing on microbial symbionts, a whole universe of possibilities has opened up. We have seen a hangover cure, synthetic probiotics for humans, and even microbes that help plants fix their own nitrogen. Now the focus is on bees to get their engineered probiotic, an idea that may save the insects from disease and insulate consumers from food shortages.

Domesticated bees and other pollinators play a significant role in growing many foods, although how much is debated. A significant percentage of Americas crops between 7% and 35% relyto some extent on bees. Wheat, corn and rice are wind-pollinated. Lettuce, beans and tomatoes are self-pollinated. But in some crops, bees are essential. Honeybees have a tremendous financial importance, not only for their honey but as the insects that enable the reproduction of (many) flowering plants. As wild insects cannot be relied upon to pollinate thousands of acres of monocultures, crop producers employ beekeepers to bring their hives close to their plants. This gave birth to migratory beekeeping, a practice now essential for cultivation of plants such as almond trees on a commercial scale.

Honeybees have evolved into a managed livestock, with a complex role in agriculture and established production and management practices. Beekeepers need to maintain healthy colonies. All bee colonies decline significantly in size during the winter months, but overwinter losses have increased over the past 15 years, and now hover around 40%. These persistently high mortality rates have fedinaccurate speculations about the cause, often blaming one class of pesticides, neonicotioids as the primary culprit. The evidence doesnt support that claim. The driver of bee health problems is known and its not pesticides nor agricultural production models; its disease.

Honeybees are susceptible to many infections from parasites and viruses. In fact, the co-infection with mite parasites and RNA viruses is particularly destructive for bees and accounts for a large portion of colony losses. The most common external parasites are the Varroa mites (scientific name Varroa destructor), which feed on the fat bodies of the bees. The deformed wing virus is another common hazard. This RNA virus uses the Varroa mites as disease vectors and infects the bee bodies, leading to developmental deformities.

Varroa infection treatment is difficult. Common methods include pesticides to which Varroa started developing resistance mechanical screening of bees, as well as teaching the bees to recognize and kill infected pupae. A more selective and effective treatment could save bees and agricultural resources, and this treatment might be already present in the bees gut microbiome.

In animals, DNA stores the genetic material, and RNA molecules are short-lived and execute specific functions. Ribosomal RNA has structural role in ribosomes, transport RNA carry amino acids, and messenger RNA carries the information needed to synthesize proteins. In contrast, many viruses carry their genetic information in RNA molecules. To defend against RNA viruses, cells have developed a sophisticated system called RNA interference, or RNAi. This complex molecular machinery recognizes double-stranded RNA and breaks it down.

Bees possess an efficient RNAi machinery that protects them from intruders at a molecular level. And researchers can use this system to protect bees against mites and viruses. If we insert RNA complimentary to the deformed wing viruss genome, it will form a double-stranded hybrid molecule. The RNAi machinery can now shred the virus genome to pieces, ending thus the virus infection. The same principle can be used to target specific parasite genes. And this brought forth the idea of injecting bees with RNA to protect against Varroa mites.

There are several problems with administering RNA to individual bees. RNA is a notoriously unstable and difficult to administer molecule. The treatment is short-termed. There are off-target effects. And its almost impossible to treat entire hives. Ideally, the bees would maintain the ability to produce the suitable RNA for a long time (or permanently), but would express it only in case of infection is happening. In theory it should be possible to insert the RNA gene in the genome of the honeybees under very tight control. In practice, though, this would be extremely tough. But while the process of genetically engineering insects is not very practical, the technology to modify bacteria is quite mature.

Bees, as every organism, have a rich microbiome. It should be possible modify one of these microbes to deliver the RNA cure to its bee hosts. This is exactly the idea researchers from the University of Texas explored in a recent article published in Science. Sean Leonard and his collaborators genetically modified the bacterium Snodgrassella alvi wkB2, one of the most abundant microbes found in the honeybee gut, to continuously deliver double stranded RNA.

The researchers first verified that engineered bacteria can establish themselves in the bees gut. They tested whether the modified S. alvi can deliver RNA to their host, and if this RNA can stimulate an RNAi response. As these early experiments were positive, the scientists tried to use the new probiotic to treat deformed wing virus and Varroa mite infections. Their results showed that the administration of the engineered microbe improved survivability, while the microbe by itself didnt seem to harm healthy bees.

This work from Leonard and the rest of the University of Texas team is an encouraging proof of principle. Their study shows that bee probiotics can confer parasite and virus resistance for several days to individual bees, though they dont show yet if such a treatment will work well on a hive level. Such an approach has the potential to be a versatile and generalized cure: the beekeepers could store and administer specialized probiotics for any possible outbreak. Bee probiotics would be very specific to the disease they teat and they would have minimal environmental impact (contained within the hives and disappearing over time).

Would honeybee probiotics get regulatory clearance? The question is a bit complicated. In the US, they would likely be regulated in same way as engineered human probiotics, which are already on the market. But the honey produced by treated bees and the pollinated crops are in regulatory uncharted territory, so nothing is assured as this issue is more ideological than science-based. The food products are definitely not GMOs as the bee or crop DNA would not be affected but regulators might nonetheless under political pressure to require proof about environmental and food safety, even though there is no logical scientific basis for requiring such information as there would be no detectable difference in honey derived from such bees. Most probably, countries with tougher GMO restrictions (such as in the EU) will be as skeptical of probiotics from RNA-modified bees as they are of other genetic engineering technology, and are unlikely to approve them.

Insects are organisms with immense financial, ecological, and social importance. Synthetic biology may provide ways to protect or control insect populations without the use of harmful chemicals, destroying habitats, or introducing invasive species ways that we currently employ with well-documented consequences. Engineering the microbiome is a way to solve biological problems by bypassing the hurdles of transforming complex multicellular organisms, a back door to make synthetic biology easier. And the honeybee back door is now pried open.

Kostas Vavitsas, PhD, is a Senior Research Associate at the University of Athens, Greece. He is also a steering committee member of EUSynBioS. Follow him on Twitter @konvavitsas

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Disease is the greatest threat to bee health. Can we protect them through genetically engineered probiotics? - Genetic Literacy Project

KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa. and SIOUX FALLS, S.D., April 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --Global biotherapeutics leader, CSL Behringand innovative human antibody development company SAB Biotherapeutics(SAB) announced today their partnership to combat the coronavirus pandemic with the rapid development of SAB-185, a COVID-19 therapeutic candidate on track for clinical evaluation by early summer. The partnership joins the forces of CSL Behring's leading protein science capabilities with SAB's novel immunotherapy platform capable of rapidly developing and producing natural, highly-targeted, high-potency, fully human polyclonal antibodies without the need for blood plasma donations from recovered patients.

The therapeutic candidate, SAB-185, is generated from SAB's proprietary DiversitAb platform producing large volumes of human polyclonal antibodies targeted specifically to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Driven by advanced genetic engineering and antibody science, SAB's novel approach, leveraging genetically engineered cattle to produce fully human antibodies, enables a scalable and reliable production of targeted, higher potency neutralizing antibody product than has been previously possible. SAB's approach has expedited the rapid development of a novel immunotherapy for COVID-19 deploying the same natural immune response to fight the disease as recovered patients, but with a much higher concentration of targeted antibodies.

"COVID-19 is a nearly unprecedented public health crisis," said CSL Behring's Executive Vice President and Head of R&D Bill Mezzanotte, M.D. "That's why we're combining our leading capabilities in plasma product development and immunology with external collaborators to help find multiple, rapid solutions. In the near-term, SAB Biotherapeutics' novel immunotherapy platform provides a new and innovative solution to rapidly respond without the need for human plasma adding a different dimension to the industry-wide plasma-derived hyperimmune alliance effort we recently launched for the COVID-19 crisis. For future pandemics, SAB's platform may allow us to even more rapidly respond to patients' needs."

"Our targeted high-potency immunotherapies leverage the native immune response thereby providing a highly-specific match against the complexity, diversity and mutation of a disease," said Eddie J. Sullivan, PhD, SAB Biotherapeutics president, CEO and co-founder. "Our partnership with CSL Behring shifts our development trajectory to more rapidly scale-up and delivery of our highly targeted and potent COVID-19 therapeutic candidate, and deploy our unique capabilities to help combat this crisis. We have a successful preclinical track record for addressing infectious disease targets including Ebola, MERS, and SARS with our proprietary platform and appreciate that this collaboration with a global biopharmaceutical powerhouse will magnify the potential impact of a COVID-19 immunotherapy and provide an important framework for establishing sustainable solutions for the future."

CSL Behring has provided seed funding to offset some initial development costs that were funded by SAB in good faith, responding to the global pandemic as quickly as possible. SAB has already secured approximately $7.2 million in funding through an interagency agreement with the Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Defense (JPEO - CBRND) and Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA)to support SAB to complete manufacturing and preclinical studies. CSL Behring will then commit its clinical, regulatory, manufacturing and supply chain expertise and resources to deliver the therapeutic to the market as soon as possible, on terms to be agreed with SAB.

Earlier this year, the companies announceda collaboration to investigate SAB's platform technology as a new source for human immunoglobulin G (IgG) and the potential for new therapies to treat challenging autoimmune, infectious and idiopathic diseases by leveraging SAB's DiversitAb platform.

About CSL Behring CSL Behring is a global biotherapeutics leader driven by its promise to save lives. Focused on serving patients' needs by using the latest technologies, we develop and deliver innovative therapies that are used to treat coagulation disorders, primary immune deficiencies, hereditary angioedema, inherited respiratory disease, and neurological disorders. The company's products are also used in cardiac surgery, burn treatment and to prevent hemolytic disease of the newborn. CSL Behring operates one of the world's largest plasma collection networks, CSL Plasma. The parent company, CSL Limited (ASX:CSL;USOTC:CSLLY), headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, employs more than 26,000 people, and delivers its life-saving therapies to people in more than 70 countries. For more information, visit http://www.cslbehring.com and for inspiring stories about the promise of biotechnology, visit Vita http://www.cslbehring.com/Vita

About SAB Biotherapeutics, Inc.SAB Biotherapeutics, Inc. (SAB), headquartered in Sioux Falls, S.D. is a clinical-stage, biopharmaceutical development company advancing a new class of immunotherapies leveraging fully human polyclonal antibodies. Utilizing some of the most complex genetic engineering and antibody science in the world, SAB has developed the only platform that can rapidly produce natural, highly targeted, high-potency, immunotherapies at commercial scale. The company is advancing programs in autoimmunity, infectious diseases, inflammation and exploratory oncology. SAB is rapidly progressing on a new therapeutic for COVID-19, SAB-185, a fully human polyclonal antibodies targeted to SARS-CoV-2 without using human donors. SAB-185 is expected to be ready for evaluation as early as summer 2020. The company was also recently awarded a $27 million contract from the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to leverage its unique capabilities as part of a Rapid Response Antibody Program, valued at up to $27 million. For more information visit: http://www.sabbiotherapeutics.com.

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CSL Behring and SAB Biotherapeutics Join Forces to Deliver New Potential COVID-19 Therapeutic - P&T Community

The "CAR T-Cell Therapy for Multiple Myeloma - Market Insights and Market Forecast - 2030" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

This report delivers an in-depth understanding of the CAR T-Cell Therapy use for Multiple Myeloma as well as the CAR T-Cell Therapy market trends for Multiple Myeloma in the 6MM i.e., United States and EU5 (Germany, Spain, Italy, France and the United Kingdom).

The Multiple Myeloma CAR T-Cell Therapy market report provides current treatment practices, emerging drugs, CAR T-Cell Therapy market share of the various CAR T-Cell Therapies for Multiple Myeloma, the individual therapies, current and forecasted Multiple Myeloma CAR T-Cell Therapy market Size from 2017 to 2030 segmented by seven major markets. The Report also covers current Multiple Myeloma treatment practice/algorithm, market drivers, market barriers and unmet medical needs to curate best of the opportunities and assesses underlying potential of the market.

Reasons to Buy

Report Highlights

Key Topics Covered:

1. Key Insights

2. Executive Summary

3. CAR T-Cell Therapy Market Overview at a Glance

3.1 Market Share (%) Distribution of CAR T-Cell Therapy for MM in 2030

4. CAR T-Cell Therapy Background and Overview

4.1 Introduction

4.1.1 CARs Generations

4.1.2 Genetic Engineering of T-Cells

4.1.3 How CAR T-Cell Therapy Works

4.2 The promise of CAR T-cell targeting B cell maturation antigen (BCMA) in multiple myeloma

4.3 Current challenges in CAR T

4.3.1 Therapeutic side effects

4.3.2 CAR T-cells lack of success

4.4 CAR T-cell therapy: Route to reimbursement

4.5 Unmet needs

5. CAR T-Cell Therapy for Multiple Myeloma (MM): 6 Major Market Analysis

5.1 Key Findings

5.2 Market Size of CAR T-Cell Therapy in 6MM

5.2.1 Market Size of CAR T-Cell Therapy by Therapies

6. Market Outlook

7. Emerging Drug Profiles for Multiple Myeloma

7.1 bb2121: Celgene Corporation

7.1.1 Product Description

7.1.2 Research and Development

7.1.3 Product Development Activities

7.2 JNJ-68284528 (LCAR-B38M): Janssen Research & Development

7.2.1 Product Description

7.2.2 Research and Development

7.2.3 Product Development Activities

7.3 P-BCMA-101: Poseida Therapeutics

7.3.1 Product Description:

7.3.2 Research and Development

7.3.3 Product Development Activities

7.4 CAR-CD44v6: MolMed S.p.A.

7.4.1 Product Description

7.4.2 Research and Development

7.4.3 Product Development Activities

7.5 JCARH125 (Orvacabtagene autoleucel): Celgene Corporation

7.5.1 Product Description

7.5.2 Research and Development

7.5.3 Product Development Activities

7.6 Descartes-08: Cartesian Therapeutics

7.6.1 Product Description

7.6.2 Research and Development

7.7 CT053 : CARsgen Therapeutics)

7.7.1 Product Description

7.7.2 Research and Development

7.7.3 Product Development Activities

Companies Mentioned

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/auj3ij

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200409005373/en/

Contacts

ResearchAndMarkets.comLaura Wood, Senior Press Managerpress@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900

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One in four Britons think the coronavirus was probably created in a lab, research suggests.

Scientists from Kings College London asked more than 2,000 people what they believed to be true about the somewhat mysterious strain.

A quarter (25%) of those surveyed thought the coronavirus is probably man-made, a conspiracy theory circulating the internet.

Early research suggests the infection is mild in four out of five cases, however, it can trigger a respiratory disease called COVID-19.

A member of staff gives directions at a coronavirus testing centre for NHS staff at an IKEA in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear. (Getty Images)

The Kings scientists surveyed 2,250 people aged between 18 and 75.

Of the participants who thought the coronavirus was probably created in a lab, 12% admitted to meeting up with friends during the UKs lockdown.

This is more than double the 5% of participants who socialised with loved ones, but were convinced of the strains natural origin.

Latest coronavirus news, updates and advice

Live: Follow all the latest updates from the UK and around the world

Fact-checker: The number of COVID-19 cases in your local area

Explained: Symptoms, latest advice and how it compares to the flu

Boris Johnson has enforced draconian measures that only allow Britons to leave their home for very limited purposes, like exercising or shopping for essentials.

The prime minister, who is in intensive care with coronavirus complications, has repeatedly stressed people are not to socialise with those outside of their home.

Nearly a quarter (24%) of the Kings participants who believed the coronavirus was probably manufactured thought too much of a fuss is being made about the pandemic.

This is compared to one in 10 (10%) of those who believed the strain is natural.

Emerging at the end of last year, only the relatively small number of people worldwide who have encountered the virus are thought to have immunity against it.

The race is on to develop a vaccine that will enable herd immunity, allowing the public to safely go back to their normal routine.

The survey participants who thought a jab will be available within three months were nearly four times as likely to have met up with friends during the lockdown than those of the opinion a vaccine will take longer.

Numerous pharmaceutical companies around the world are working to develop a jab, however, scientists have been upfront one will not be ready for this outbreak.

A vaccine may become available, however, if the infection turns out to be seasonal.

People have generally got the message about how serious the threat from the virus is and the importance of the measures being required of them, said study author Professor Bobby Duffy.

But at a time when the government is warning it may bring in more severe restrictions if enough people dont follow the rules, this research shows there is a significant minority who are unclear on what some of them are, as well as many who still misjudge the scale of the threat from coronavirus or believe false claims about it.

And this matters how we see current realities and the future is often related to how we strictly we follow the guidelines and our attitudes to the lockdown measures.

A man wears a mask outside a closed electrical-goods shop in the centre of Munich. (Getty Images)

Story continues

The coronavirus is thought to have emerged at a seafood and live animal market in the Chinese city Wuhan, capital of Hubei province, at the end of 2019.

The market is said to have sold a range of dead and alive animals, including bats, donkeys, poultry and hedgehogs.

Most of those who initially became unwell at the start of the outbreak worked at, or visited, the Wuhan market.

This has led scientists to believe the new coronavirus jumped from an animal into a human while the two were in close contact.

The coronavirus is one of seven strains of a class of viruses that are known to infect humans.

Another strain is severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars), which killed 774 people during its 2002/3 outbreak.

Sars is thought to have started in bats and jumped into humans via masked palm civets.

Research suggests the new coronavirus shares more than 96% of its DNA with a strain detected in horseshoe bats and may have reached humans via pangolins.

Despite the evidence, conspiracy theories have arisen suggesting the strain could have been engineered.

To debunk this, scientists from Scripps Research in San Diego analysed the DNA of the virus and others like it.

They specifically looked at proteins on the surface of the viruses that allow them to enter human cells.

Results suggested the coronavirus evolved to target a receptor on human cells called ACE2.

This targeting is so effective, the scientists concluded it was the result of natural selection and not genetic engineering.

The coronavirus genetic backbone is also distinct from other pathogens. The scientists argued if one were to manufacture a disease, they would work off a backbone that is known to cause ill health.

By comparing the available genome sequence data for known coronavirus strains, we can firmly determine that [the new strain] originated through natural processes, said study author Dr Kristian Andersen.

A woman wears a mask while walking dogs in Palma, Spain. (Getty Images)

Since the coronavirus outbreak was identified, more than 1.5 million cases have been confirmed worldwide,according to Johns Hopkins University.

Of these cases, over 339,700 are known to have recovered.

Globally, the death toll has exceeded 89,900.

The coronavirus mainly spreads face-to-face via infected droplets expelled in a cough and sneeze.

There is also evidenceit may be transmitted in faecesandcan survive on surfaces.

Although most cases are mild, pneumonia can come about if the coronavirus spreads to the air sacs in the lungs.

This causes them to become inflamed and filled with fluid or pus.

The lungs then struggle to draw in air, resulting in reduced oxygen in the bloodstream and a build-up of carbon dioxide.

The coronavirus has no set treatment, with most patients naturally fighting off the infection.

Those requiring hospitalisation are given supportive care, like ventilation, while their immune system gets to work.

Officials urge people ward off the coronavirus bywashing their hands regularlyand maintainingsocial distancing.

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One in four Britons 'think the coronavirus was probably created in a lab' - Yahoo Sports

Most of us have been taught to understand the word "historian" to refer to a specialist who writes about the past.

One of the greatest - if not the greatest - historians alive today is a 44-year-old man by the name of Yuval Harari, currently lecturing at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel.

Five years ago, Harari changed the meaning of "history" by publishing a book about the future - Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow.

The title of this prophetic book is pregnant with meaning. It combines two beings - earthly and divine - to produce an omnipotent hybrid called "Domo Deus".

In palaeontology, the prefix "homo" refers to creatures that evolved into the human family. In classical Latin, "Deus" meant "god". Thus, Harari's book envisions a future where man can appropriate the powers of "god", and therefore become a human-god or "Homo Deus".

In the first chapter, Harari writes about the "anti-death" scientific research under way at the well-known American company Google.

In 2009, one of the leading anti-death researchers at Google, Bill Maris, fervently believed it would be possible, through genetic engineering, for a human being to live until he is 500 years old.

That idea rests on a fundamental transformation of the meaning of "death" that has taken place in the mind of man - from the understanding of death as a mysterious occurrence preordained by a deity to death understood as, according to Harari, "a technical problem that we can and should solve".

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Fear of global plagues and greed for money are as old as mankind - SowetanLIVE

Genetic engineering will allow the production of tomatoes and kiwis that are more tolerant to saline lands and will require less water. The initiative will also develop biostimulants directly applicable to plants to make them more tolerant to stress caused by drought and salinity .

Agriculture has been one of the activities hardest hit by climate change. Figures in this regard indicate that around 40% of the worlds land area corresponds to land affected by drought, a value that could increase to 50% between now and 2025.

One of the initial focuses of the project is to generate new varieties of tomatoes and kiwis using the CRISPR / Cas9 genetic engineering technique. In the case of tomato, the characteristics of Poncho Negro, a Chilean variety originating in the Azapa Valley that has high resistance to salinity and the effect of heavy metals, will be studied.

Components to improve tomato 7742 (seminis), the most widely produced and marketed variety in Chile, will also be investigated. Regarding kiwis, the aim will be to increase tolerance to salinity and drought of varieties used as rootstocks, to improve the productivity of Hayward commercial kiwi plants; the third most exported in Chile.

[Editors note: This article was published in Spanish and has been translated and edited for clarity.]

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Bengaluru/New Delhi: As the coronavirus outbreak continues to spread across the world, the cyberspace has been abuzz with claims that the Covid-19 strain in India is a less virulent mutation than the one travelling abroad. BJP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy and gastroenterologist D. Nageshwar Reddy are among those who have made such claims.

While Swamy quoted an American friend in a tweet last week to say the Covid-19 strain in India can be defeated more effectively by our bodys natural defense mechanism than the strains abroad, Reddy in an interview floated similar claims without quoting any research.

Some users responded to Swamys tweet posting a link to a study that they claimed supported his notion. But this study, which is yet to be peer reviewed, has faults of its own, including use of limited data.

A number of experts in the field have termed such assertions baseless. Dr Gagandeep Kang, executive director at the Translational Health Science & Technology Institute in Faridabad, called Reddys comments appalling & misleading.

As such claims circulate online, ThePrint highlights the science of virus mutation and whether you should be worried.

Also read:WHO says coronavirus outbreak in Europe could be approaching peak

The overarching problem is the use of the term Indian SARS-CoV-2 strain that is in itself misleading.

A strain is a sub-type of a virus, characterised by different cell surface proteins, eliciting a different immune response from other strains. A mutation, however, is very minor genetic errors in genome sequences made during replication that doesnt fundamentally change the nature or behaviour of the virus.

So far, only two isolates from India have been genetically sequenced. Both are from coronavirus patients in Kerala who had arrived from Chinas Wuhan in late January. The strains are nearly identical to the ones sequenced in Wuhan and cannot be identified as a separate Indian strain.

Anu Raghunathan, a scientist at the Council of Scientific and Industrial Researchs (CSIR) National Chemical Laboratory in Pune, told ThePrint that the researchers of the aforementioned study used computational biology to analyse the genomic data from different strains around the world.

Theinitial attempt of the team from the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biology, New Delhi, at analysing the virus strain is not sufficient to conclude that all Indian strains would have only one unique mutation, said Raghunathan.

The mutations themselves are composed of changes in base pairs.

The novel coronaviruss genome is made up of 30,000 base pairs, while a human genome contains over 3 million. The small numbers make it easy for scientists to track changes and new lineages as they evolve.

To understand what these mutations mean for India, the country will have to sequence a much larger set of the viral isolates from the patients here.

Rakesh K. Mishra, director of CSIRs Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology in Hyderabad, told ThePrint that his institute has the capacity to run the genome sequencing of the isolates from at least 500 people within a couple of weeks. This can help scientists decide the correct course of action for treating the disease.

For example, if a virus mutates too fast, vaccines being developed now will potentially become useless, and pharmaceuticals will have to constantly keep up with the mutations by developing new vaccines all the time, a financially unviable prospect.

Also read:China now wants people to shop, eat out while rest of the world locks down

Regularly switching up the genetic code is an essential part of how a virus evolves. Some viruses, such as the coronaviruses that cause flu, change their genetic code extremely rapidly. This is the main reason why its so difficult to find a vaccine for coronaviruses. They evolve quickly, making vaccines defunct.

The flu vaccine, now available and recommended especially for older people, needs to be taken annually for this reason. By the time the next season comes along, the vaccine is no longer effective on the circulating form of the virus.

Coronaviruses are ribonucleic acid (RNA) viruses, containing just RNA strands (single or double) as its genetic material. They have about 26,000 to 32,000 bases or RNA letters in their length.

RNA viruses mutate continuously. Such a mutation is what made SARS-CoV-2s jump from animals to humans possible.

The virus multiplies inside living organisms cells by creating copies for the RNA. However, the process it uses to make these copies is not perfect, and often introduces tiny errors in the sequence of letters much like a game of Chinese whispers.

The errors that do not help the survival of the virus eventually get eliminated, while other mutations get embedded. It is these mistakes that help scientists track how the virus travelled around different geographic locations.

For example, by genetically sequencing over 2,000 isolates of samples from different countries, scientists tracked how the novel coronavirusspread to different countries, and how the virus evolved and geographically mutated in different areas.

The word mutations often conjures images of humans with superpowers thanks to Hollywood movies but it doesnt mean the virus acquires superpowers. The genetic changes are normal in the evolution of the virus. In some cases, the changes are extremely rapid because the replication is not rigorous or thorough.

The only problem with mutations is the problem of development of vaccines, which would require constant upgrade.

Also read:Why asymptomatic coronavirus carriers arent as contagious but still a big danger

The novel coronavirus, unlike its cousins, mutates slowly. It seems to have a proofreading mechanism in place that reduces the error rate and slows down the speed of mutation. But the mutations are completely random.

One mutation that supports the virus replication and transmission from human to human or any other host sustains whereas the virus that cannot infect many eventually dies out, explained Shweta Chelluboina, clinical virologist at the Interactive Research School for Health Affairs in Pune.

These are random events and such a phenomenon has caused the outbreak in the first place.The newcoronavirushad mutated successfully enoughthat it jumped from animal tohuman, allowingit to infect manywith still no containment in sight, said Chelluboina.

There were reports earlier about how the novel coronavirus has mutated into two strains so far the original S-type which originated in Wuhan, and the subsequent L-type that evolved from the S-type and is more prevalent in countries like the US. Scientists at the Peking Universitys School of Life Sciences and the Institut Pasteur of Shanghai announced these findings.

The L-type is the more aggressive one, and spreads rapidly but is no more or less virulent than the S-type. The researchers urged everyone to take preventive measures because the mutation indicates that more could be coming.

But these arent really two strains as such. A strain is a genetic variant characterised by different forms of surface proteins. But the L-type and the S-type are not quite different enough to call them strains just yet. They are just mutations, referred to as types, according to the study.

To explain the lower population of S-type, the authors of the study suggested that human-adopted measures of curbing contact contained the S-type to the Wuhan region, and allowed the L-type to spread elsewhere uncontained. While the S-type emerged around the time the virus jumped from animals to humans, the L-type emerged soon after that within humans, the team suggested.

Experts think there is also a definite sampling bias for the L-type, which was just sampled more, and uniformly, resulting in higher representation. The mutations were discovered in a preliminary study, as cautioned by the authors as well, and was performed on a limited population of 103 samples.

The study is not peer-reviewed yet, and as most Covid-related studies are under the open community, is a pre-print for now. It was uploaded on 4 March.

These findings strongly support an urgent need for further immediate, comprehensive studies that combine genomic data, epidemiological data, and chart records of the clinical symptoms of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), said the study.

The science is evolving rapidly, as more and more genome data is collected from around the world.

Newer research data gathered from genetic sequences uploaded to open source website NextStrain.org indicate that anywhere from eight to 18 different sequences of the coronavirus are making their way around the globe, according to researchers who have genetically sequenced over 1,400 isolates from around the world. These are extremely tiny differences within the viruses in their nucleotide sequences, and none of the sequenced groups seem to be growing any more or less lethal than others.

Most importantly, none of them are new strains despite their coverage as such in the mediaand subsequent clarifications by Nextstrain, who have the data for 2,243 SARS-CoV-2 genomes, of which 1,150 have minor mutations.

On Nextstrain, nearly every virus reveals a slightly different genome. But there are very few mutations and none are strong or vital enough to affect the way the virus spreads, attacks, or lives. The sequences are all named by location where they were first sequenced.

It is very common that during an outbreak, especially during a global pandemic, the genome sequence of earlier isolates from one particular geographical location will differ from that of the later isolates collected elsewhere, said Sreejith Rajasekharan, virologist and post doc at the International Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) in Trieste, Italy, over an email.

This is what is observed in the current pandemic as well. The first sequence collected from positive patients in Rome, Italy was from a Chinese tourist. This and the one collected after, from an Italian citizen returning from China resemble those that were isolated in China, said Rajasekharan.

However, the ones isolated later in Lombardia and Friuli Venezia Giulia regions (in Italy) match the European clad and not the one from China.

The mutations in the virus are like moving targets, which cant be hit because they keep changing their genetic sequence.

Genome sequencing on a large scale can tell us whether viral isolates are different in different countries from what we saw from China. So this will help us decide whether the treatments being contemplated in those places will be applicable for our strains or not, Rakesh Mishra said.

It will also help decide if the different strains vary so much that developing vaccines may not be viable, Mishra said.

Some behaviours are unique in different strains like how we know that aged people are at high risk but we saw in India young people have also died, said Chelluboina. Some variations in the virus cause the virus to behave in a certain way.

The sequencing will provide a fundamental understanding of how to address the problem without it, the treatments are based on what is known of other viruses which may or may not work for the novel coronavirus, and also likely take up a long time.

That is why it is important to understand the sequence of the virus in local infections to know which countries have a similar virus, so that we can attempt to better predict the outcome, added Chelluboina.

However, Rajasekharan added, The general public needs not be concerned in this regard as the genome of SARS-CoV-2 is quite stable, and therefore the rate of mutation is low.

The novel coronavirus will continue to mutate and pose a challenge to researchers developing a vaccine. Nonetheless, the idea of viruses mutating is not something that needs to worry people in terms of their health when it comes to Covid-19.

Also read:Seasonal flu far more common than coronavirus, but its vaccine is not popular in India

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How the novel coronavirus is mutating, and if you should be concerned - ThePrint

A virus spreads by replicating itself each time it replicates, it could change a little. Mapping the genome of each changed form of the virus, therefore, helps track where it came from and how. The Translational Bioinformatics Group at the International Centre for Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology in New Delhi studied the genomes of the virus from five locations Wuhan, India , Nepal, Italy and the US to identify what is unique to the novel coronavirus and what difference geographical location makes. A country-specific mutation would explain the severity of illness, the extent and timing of exposure to symptomatic carriers and, consequently, hold the clue to a containment strategy. For instance, the study found the presence of unique mutations identified in the genome from Italy are responsible for the sudden upsurge in the number of affected cases and deaths, combined with other factors a speculation which may be verified with more evidence. Any strategy to counter the virus, then, would have to factor this in.Mutations help viruses survive in hosts and influence its virulence (how it attaches, infects and multiplies in a host). The mutations could be favourable or detrimental to the viruses, depending on the type of mutation. If a mutation results in a more virulent virus, its transmission is enhanced, Dr Dinesh Gupta, group leader of the study which published its preliminary findings in a preprint paper, told TOI.

Mutations help viruses survive in hosts and influence its virulence (how it attaches, infects and multiplies in a host). The mutations could be favourable or detrimental to the viruses, depending on the type of mutation

So what did they find? In the samples the group studied, the sequence from Nepal showed no variation at all. And the maximum mutations were seen in the Indian sequence, six. Mutations bring about variations in viral genomes as the virus evolves to survive in its host. A mutation may be good or bad. Very fast mutations produce viruses which are not able to survive. The viruses that do survive, adapt and transmit are the ones that are sequenced and analysed, Dr Gupta said.

Of the six mutations in Indian genome, only one was unique to India

Mutations in Indian genome

Spike surface glycoprotein (unique to India): A virus protein which helps a virus attach itself to a host cell and enter it

ORF1ab: Polyprotein which is cleaved to form 16 smaller proteins, each known as non-structural protein (Nsp)

Nsp2: Believed to hamper signalling process in host cell

Nsp3: Protein which breaks down other proteins

Helicase or Nsp12, unwinds DNA molecules

ORF8 protein: Helps virus in human adaptation

For specific conclusions, however, Dr Gupta said, a wider base of study would be needed. The current data of just two sequences from Indian samples is too small to make a definitive statement, and requires more sequences to be analysed. He also clarified that one finding of the preliminary report that the microRNA hsa-miR-27b (small RNA molecules that can influence the expression of virus proteins) was found to have a target only in the Indian genome in the first study could not be replicated. We didn't find any target for the miRNA hsa-miR-27b in the second sequence, whereas the miRNA was predicted to uniquely target the spike glycoprotein in the first sequence, he said.

Read the rest here:
India What we know about the genome of the virus in India A mutation unique to - Times of India

What is a vaccine?

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) a vaccine is understood to be any preparation intended to generate immunity against a disease by stimulating the production of antibodies. This may be, for example, a suspension of killed or attenuated microorganisms, or products or derivatives of microorganisms. Most vaccines are given by an injection, but some are given orally (by mouth) or sprayed into the nose.

In a previous article we had talked about the immune system, which is like the bodys defense army. One is born with a capacity to respond to what the body recognizes as foreign, as a threat (such as a virus, a bacterium, a fungus, or a parasite). That primary responsiveness is quick, but it is not specific and, therefore, sometimes not enough, the threat manages to get past that barrier. We call that first, fast and nonspecific immunity innate immunity.

The body has another way of defending itself, specially designed for each type of threat. Lets say that the body has, from birth, a group of cells ready to design and produce specific weapons for each pathogen. This second army works on what we call acquired immunity.

Since there is a wide variety of pathogens, [1] these cells do not produce these specific weapons until the pathogen enters the body, they recognize it, and they can design exactly the weapon that will harm it. This response is more specific, but it takes longer to start working.

One of the most powerful weapons in this army are the antibodies (also known as immunoglobulins). Antibodies are molecules (glycoproteins) that synthesize cells of the immune system (lymphocytes), these antibodies are synthesized with the exact composition that allows it to specifically (very specifically) bind to a part of the pathogen.

Antibodies have two main functions: they mark these pathogens to be attacked and eliminated by other cells of the immune system, or they bind to a specific part of the pathogen that blocks its ability to enter and harm cells in the body.

Antibodies are generated against specific substances of the pathogens; these substances are called antigens. They are that part of the pathogen that, by interacting with the cells of the immune system, provokes the immune response, which is why identifying them is an important part in the production of vaccines.

Once this army that participates in acquired immunity, designs this production line against a specific pathogen, it already leaves it there programmed (immunological memory), so if this pathogen attacks us again all these specific weapons are ready, the response is faster, if you get sick it is usually much less serious, and many times you do not get sick because the immune system of your body fought the threat and eliminated it before it could harm you and cause symptoms.

Thats what a vaccine does, getting in contact with the pathogen (or parts of it), in a safe (non-disease-causing) way, but enough to trigger your immune response and leave all your weapons ready so if that pathogen attacks you naturally, your response is quick, specific and protective.

What types of vaccine are there?

There are different types of vaccines. Some of them contain the complete infectious agent (live attenuated vaccines and inactivated or dead vaccines). In live attenuated vaccines, an attenuated or weakened form of the disease-causing pathogen (such as chickenpox or smallpox vaccines) is used. So that it elicits a very strong immune response, most of these vaccines need a single dose to immunize you for life. However, when using an attenuated form of the pathogen it should be used with caution in people with weakened immune systems, and it has specificities for its preservation (they should always be kept cold).

Inactivated vaccines use the inactivated version of the pathogen (for example, against polio or rabies). They use a harmless version of the pathogen, but usually do not provide an immunity as strong as live vaccines, which is why multiple doses are often required.

On the other hand, vaccines with toxoids (against diphtheria and tetanus, for example) are those that use the toxins (toxic substances) released by the pathogen when they are the cause of the disease. It generates immunity against this harmful toxin, not against the pathogen itself.

There is another group of vaccines with greater biotechnological complexity: conjugate and recombinant vaccines. These employ fragments of the pathogens molecular structure, which elicit a protective immune response, which is the goal of all vaccines.

They are very safe vaccines, that can be used in anyone and offer a very strong immune response directed at key parts of the pathogen. Conjugates combine these parts of the infectious agent (virus or bacteria) with other molecules that increase their immunogenic capacity (for example, vaccines against some meningococci and pneumococci), while recombinants (such as vaccines against hepatitis B, human papilloma virus or herpes zoster) involves introducing into any vectorit is usually a virus or bacterium that does not cause diseaseregions of the pathogen that we know to be immunogenic; that is, they have the capacity to activate the immune system.

Among the novel techniques being used for the production of vaccines are DNA vaccines, nanoparticle vaccines, among others.

Those involving genetic engineering, the so-called DNA vaccines, have had a major boost with technological development that has succeeded in sequencing (knowing the genetic information) of many pathogens very quickly. The sequence of the current coronavirus, for example, was obtained in just days. Researchers use an organisms genome (its genetic information) to extract the genes that are most likely to match known antigens that could be used in a vaccine.

Once identified, those genes can be combined and inserted into a different, rapidly multiplying organism, such as yeast, to produce experimental antigens, which are then studied to determine their ability to elicit a protective immune response. This method is known as reverse vaccination; no licensed vaccine has yet been released, but several experimental vaccines are already being studied, some of which are in the later stages of clinical trial (for example, a group B meningococcal vaccine). [2] Several of the vaccine candidates against COVID-19 follow this method.

What process does a vaccine candidate have to follow until it is approved for use in humans?

The creation of a vaccine is a long and complex process that often takes 10 to 15 years, and involves the combined participation of governments, and public and private organizations.

The World Health Organization establishes a protocol that many governments and regulatory institutions in the world follow, although each of them has specific regulations.

Ensuring that vaccines are safe, effective and of quality is a crucial element in their development and distribution. It begins with the first phases of the vaccine, generally in the laboratory, where its components are subjected to tests to determine aspects such as purity and potency. The clinical trials consisting of three phases are then commenced.

The license, or authorization for use in humans is the fundamental step in the process. The official entity that grants the authorization, the national regulatory body is the arbitrator that decides whether the established standards have been met to guarantee the quality of the vaccine.

What are the steps that have to be followed?

Exploration stage

This stage involves basic laboratory research, and often lasts 2 to 4 years.

Preclinical stage

Preclinical studies use tissue culture or cell culture systems and animal testing to assess the safety of the candidate vaccine and its ability to elicit an immune response.

Researchers can tailor the candidate vaccine during the preclinical phase to try to make it more effective. They can also perform exposure studies on animals, which means animals are vaccinated and then they try to infect them with the target pathogen; these types of studies are never performed on humans.

Many candidate vaccines do not go beyond this stage, as they cannot elicit the desired immune response. Often the preclinical stages last 1 to 2 years.

To continue the studies, after completing this phase, an application must have been approved by a competent agency.

Human clinical studies

Phase I

This first attempt to evaluate the candidate vaccine in humans involves a small group of adults, generally between 20 to 80. If the vaccine is aimed at children, the researchers will first test it in adults, and will gradually reduce the age of the test subjects until they reach the target. The goals of phase I trials are to assess the safety of the candidate vaccine and to determine the type and extent of the immune response that the vaccine elicits.

Phase II

A larger group of several hundred people participates in phase II testing. Some of the people may belong to groups at risk of contracting the disease; the trials are randomized and well controlled, and include a placebo group. The goals of phase II trials are to study the candidate vaccine for its safety, immunogenicity, proposed doses, vaccination schedule, and method of application.

Phase III

Candidate vaccines that are successful in phase II advance to larger trials, involving thousands to tens of thousands of persons. Phase III trials are randomized and double-blind, and involve the experimental vaccine that is tested against a placebo (the placebo may be a saline solution, a vaccine for another disease, or some other substance). One of phase IIIs goals is to evaluate the safety of the vaccine in a large group of persons. Some unusual side effects may not be apparent in smaller groups of people who were part of the previous phases.

During these phases, the efficacy of the vaccine to protect against the disease is assessed. Tests are done that have to do with the production of antibodies and the immune response of the persons who receive the vaccine. After a phase III trial is successful, accredited agencies will inspect the product, the factories and research results, until approval is issued.

After approved for large-scale use, the vaccines continue to be monitored.

Structure of the SARS-Cov-2 coronavirus

SARS-COV-2 is an enveloped, RNA-positive virus. The key to enter the cell is found in the so-called spike proteins (S), which cover the virus envelope.

SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus vaccines and treatments

The process to start a vaccine can take many years, however, we are told that probably in just over a year we can have a vaccine against this new virus. A response that, if possible, would be of a speed never seen before against a new disease.

This is mainly due to advances in the biotechnology sector. First of all, just one week after China reported the first cases of severe pneumonia of unknown origin to the WHO, the causative agentthe new SARS-CoV-2 coronaviruswas identified. A few days later its genome was already available. In just under three months, more than 970 scientific articles are available in the PubMed database.

Knowing the biology of the virus facilitates the design of therapeutic (antiviral) and preventive (vaccines) strategies. The similarity of genetic information with another coronavirus that has been studied for years, SARS-Cov, which caused the epidemic of acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2002, has led to rapid progress in the pre-clinical phases.

In just these three months there are already several therapeutic proposals and vaccine candidates against the new coronavirus. Science has never advanced so far in such a short time to combat an epidemic. Many of the proposals come from research groups that have spent years working against other viruses, especially against SARS and MERS. This accumulated knowledge has now made it possible to go at a speed never seen before.

Antiviral therapies

Some already available antiviral drugs have been tested to see if they can be effective in fighting COVID-19. Chloroquine, which has been used for years against malaria, is being studied by a group of researchers, as it could reduce the viral load by blocking the virus from entering cells. Some anti-inflammatories, such as barcitinib and mesmosate from camostat (Japan), are being used in some protocols because they could block the entry of the virus into lung cells.

One of the most promising antivirals against SARS-CoV-2 is remdesivir, an inhibitor that prevents the virus from multiplying within the cell. It has already been used against SARS and MERS and has been successfully tested in the latest Ebola epidemics, and against other viruses with the RNA genome. It is, therefore, a broad-spectrum antiviral. At least twelve phase II clinical trials are already underway in China and the U.S., and another has started in phase III with 1,000 patients in Asia.

In the United States, in New York, the FDA has approved the use of plasma from sick patients who have recovered. This involves obtaining blood from donors who have recovered from COVID-19, and isolating the plasma (where the antibodies are located), to transfuse it to sick people. It is not a new treatment; it was used in the Spanish Flu pandemic in 1918. According to the journal Nature, this effort in the United States is following preliminary studies carried out in China. The convalescent plasma approach has also had modest success during previous outbreaks of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Ebola. It could be an emergency response in which more effective treatments appear.

There are at least 27 clinical trials with different combinations of antiviral treatments such as Interferon Alfa-2B, ribavirin, methylprednisolone, and azvudine. At the moment they are experimental treatments, but they are a hope for the most serious and severe cases.

COVID-19 vaccines for the future

The main hope for controlling the disease is based on achieving effective vaccines. The WHO, until March 20, had a list of 41 candidates, but based on press reports from various countries, we know that more are being worked on.

An article published on March 23 by The Conversation summarizes some of the most promising projects.

In clinical trial phase

According to the publication, one of the most advanced is the Chinese proposal, a recombinant adenovirus vector-based vaccine with the SARS-CoV-2 S gene, which has already been tested in monkeys and is known to produce immunity. A phase I clinical trial will be started with 108 healthy volunteers, between 18 and 60 years old, in which three different doses will be tested.

Other proposals are being promoted by CEPI (Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations), an international association in which public, private, civil and philanthropic organizations collaborate to develop vaccines against epidemics. It is currently funding eight SARS-CoV-2 vaccine projects that include recombinant, protein, and nucleic acid vaccines.

mRNA-1273 vaccine (Moderna, Seattle)

It is a vaccine made up of a small fragment of messenger RNA with the instructions to synthesize part of the protein S of the SARS-Co-V. The idea is that, once introduced into our cells, it is these cells that make this protein, which would act as an antigen and stimulate the production of antibodies. It is already in the clinical phase and it has begun to be tested in healthy volunteers.

Preclinical phases

Recombinant measles virus vaccine (Pasteur Institute, Themis Bioscience and University of Pittsburg)

It is a vaccine built on a live attenuated measles virus, which is used as a vehicle and contains a gene that encodes a protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. It is in the preclinical phase.

Recombinant Influenza Virus Vaccine (University of Hong Kong)

It is also a live vaccine that uses an attenuated influenza virus as a vector, which has had the virulence gene NS1 removed, and is therefore not virulent. A SARS-CoV-2 virus gene is added to this vector virus. This proposal has some advantages: it could be combined with any strain of seasonal influenza virus and thus serve as a flu vaccine, it can be quickly manufactured in the same production systems that already exist for influenza vaccines, and they could be used as intranasal vaccines via spray. It is in the preclinical phase.

Recombinant protein vaccine obtained by nanoparticle technology (Novavax)

This company already has vaccines against other respiratory infections such as adult flu (Nano-Flu) and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV-F) in clinical phase III and has manufactured vaccines against SARS and MERS. Its technology is based on producing recombinant proteins that are assembled into nanoparticles and administered with its own adjuvant, Matrix-M. This compound is a well-tolerated immunogen capable of stimulating a powerful and long-lasting nonspecific immune response. The advantage is that in this way the number of necessary doses would be reduced (thus avoiding revaccination). It is in the preclinical phase.

Recombinant vaccine using as a vector the Oxford chimpanzee adenovirus, ChAdOx1 (Jenner Institute, Oxford University)

This attenuated vector is capable of carrying another gene that encodes a viral antigen. Models for MERS, influenza, chikungunya and other pathogens such as malaria and tuberculosis have been tested in volunteers. This vaccine can be manufactured on a large scale in bird embryo cell lines. The recombinant adenovirus carries the glycoprotein S gene of the SARS-CoV-2. It is in the preclinical phase.

Recombinant Protein Vaccine (University of Queensland)

It consists of creating chimeric molecules capable of maintaining the original three-dimensional structure of the viral antigen. It uses the technique called molecular clamp, which allows vaccines to be produced using the virus genome in record time. It is in the preclinical phase.

Messenger RNA Vaccine (CureVac)

This is a proposal similar to that developed by the modern biotechnology company, with recombinant messenger RNA molecules that are easily recognized by the cellular machinery and produce large amounts of antigen. They are packaged in lipid nanoparticles or other vectors. In preclinical phase.

DNA INO-4800 vaccine (Inovio Pharmaceuticals)

It is a platform that manufactures synthetic vaccines with DNA of the S gene from the surface of the virus. They had already developed a prototype against MERS (the INO-4700 vaccine) that is in phase II. They recently published the phase I results with this INO-4700 vaccine and found that it was well-tolerated and produced a good immune response (high antibody levels and a good T-cell response, maintained for at least 60 weeks after vaccination). In preclinical phase.

Cuba

According to the director of biomedical research of the CIGB, Gerardo Guilln, the Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB) of Cuba has a vaccine design that could be used against the new coronavirus.

According to the Cuban scientist, this vaccine is in the methodological and design phase. However, according to his statements, there is an advanced path since a platform that the institution has already developed is being used, where it works with virus-like particles with great capacity to stimulate the immune system.

Another platform that is very attractive and promising being developed by the center is by immunization through the nose. Cuba has experience in this regard, since it has a registered vaccine that uses this nasal spray.

The Cuban vaccine candidate is being developed with the Cuba-China joint research and development center, located in Hunan province. It is not known when clinical trials could begin.

Cuba is also carrying out research in therapeutic drugs. The results so far published by China in the treatment of COVID 19, with the Cuban Interferon Alfa 2B, showed positive results.

***

All proposals for specific treatments and vaccines for COVID-19 are in the experimental phase. But technological advances and the accumulation of research results in the fields of antiviral therapies and vaccines against other viruses, and specifically against other coronaviruses, make many experts affirm that there is a high probability of success. Although we want and need faster responses, science cannot be asked to have a vaccine in less than a year, in reality that would already be a record time.

The international scientific communitys actions, in terms of sharing scientific results, collaboration and training, is the backbone of this battle, and my greatest hope.

Read more:
Why can't we have a COVID-19 vaccine right now? - OnCubaNews