London: Scientists at Imperial College here are hopeful of developing a low-cost COVID-19 vaccine by next year.
Meanwhile, the college is all set to begin its phase 1 and phase 2 of clinical human trials on June 15. Initially, it will test 300 people, later 6,000 people are likely to participate in the testing if the trials become successful.
The vaccine candidate developed by the college is based on self-amplifying RNA technology. Instead of partnering with a big pharmaceutical company, the college has set-up a social enterprise, VacEquity Global Health (VGH) to effectively distribute the vaccine at a reduced cost.
“Right now we think the focus should be on how to solve the problem rather than how to make money out of it,” director of the enterprise at Imperial, Simon Hepworth was quoted as saying by The Indian Express.
To tackle the coronavirus, the vaccine develops protein on its surface These proteins escalates the immune system of the body, offering protection against COVID-19.
Notably, there are 224 vaccine candidates under development globally, according to Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) data.
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