US Scientists Develop ‘Ultrapotent’ COVID-19 Vaccine Candidate

New Delhi: Scientists in the United States have developed a COVID-19 vaccine candidate that produces “extremely high levels” of protective antibodies in animal models.

As per the researchers, including those from the University of Washington (UW) School of Medicine in the US, nanoparticle vaccine produces virus-neutralising antibodies in mice at levels much greater than the recovered people from the virus, PTI reported.

The study, published in the journal Cell, observed that the vaccine candidate “generates ten times more neutralising antibodies in mice, even at a six-fold lower vaccine dose, and also shows a strong B-cell immune response after administration”, which can prove significant for a vaccine’s durable effect.

“We hope that our nanoparticle platform may help fight this pandemic that is causing so much damage to our world,” PTI quoted Neil King, a co-author of the study from UW Medicine as saying.

“The potency, stability, and manufacturability of this vaccine candidate differentiate it from many others under investigation,” he added.

As per the study, the molecular structure of the vaccine is roughly similar to that of a virus, which may reckon for its increased ability to provoke an immune response.