A university in the United States said that testing of a Covid-19 vaccine had paid off. While there is obviously still a long way to go, the news is very encouraging.
The experience of old coronaviruses
This April 1, 2020, a very encouraging publication was published in the EBioMedicine journal (PDF in English / 12 pages). You should know that the latter is supported by the famous British scientific journal The Lancet. In other words, the study has been subject to verification, which is far from the case with all the studies currently appearing. Information is essential: a draft Covid-19 vaccine works on mice. Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh (US), however, said that there was still a long way to go before the vaccine was tested and approved in humans.
Recall that since the start of the epidemic, laboratories around the world have been working on developing a vaccine. Otherwise, the experience of old coronaviruses SARS (2003) and MERS (2012) have proven useful. Indeed, the scientific community has been able to understand that the peak protein of coronaviruses represents the key to protect against it. The fact is that this advanced protein allows this type of virus to infect human cells.
An innovative method
The injection of the vaccine is rather original insofar as it is done by means of a patch composed of 400 micro-needles. However, these micro-needles have the mission of releasing scraps of protein at the tip under the skin where the immune reaction is strongest. According to the researchers, this method is inspired by that of scratching when administering the smallpox vaccine. However, the technique of this new vaccine is really high tech, is more effective and also reproducible in any patient.
In summary, the vaccine gave the mice the ability to produce antibodies within two weeks of the injection. So the vaccine protects mice over a year. If these results are encouraging, it will nevertheless be necessary to be patient. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is expected to soon review this research and decide whether or not to authorize human testing in the coming months.
Obviously, the goal is to eradicate the disease or failing that, to strongly limit its progression. However, if Covid-19 becomes a seasonal disease, the vaccine may protect you every year.
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