A vaccine tested at Rome’s Lazzaro Spallanzani National Institute for Infectious Diseases has reportedly generated antibodies in mice and also in human cells.
“The vaccine neutralised the COVID-19 virus in human cells,” Takis CEO Luigi Aurisicchio told Science Times.
According to news reports, this is the most advanced stage of testing and human tests can begin in the summer. Takis, the firm developing the vaccine, is in talks with American drug company, LineaRx.
“This is not a competition. If we join forces and skills, we can all win against coronavirus,” Aurisicchio said in the report.
The vaccine developed antibodies in mice and now scientists are trying to find out how long the immunity response is.
The vaccines are being developed using genetic material of DNA protein, called spikes. It employs a technique called electroporation that breaks into the cells and activates the immune system, the report said.
This increases the effectiveness of the vaccine and helps generate functional antibodies against “spike” protein in lung cells, which are most vulnerable to coronavirus.
The vaccine could adapt to future mutations of the virus, Takis added.
