VIDO says it has taken another step forward in developing a made-in-Canada COVID-19 vaccine.
The Saskatoon-based science and research facility said 108 volunteers have been selected to take part in its COVAC-2 vaccine trial.
“We are excited to start clinical trials,” VIDO director Dr. Volker Gerdts said Wednesday in a statement.
“Our team has worked hard to advance the development of this vaccine to help combat the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The Canadian Center for Vaccinology (CCfV) in Halifax is undertaking the trial and said volunteers will be administered two doses 28 days apart in a placebo-controlled study.
“The goal of this trial is to help demonstrate vaccine safety in people,” said CCfV principal investigator Dr. Joanne Langley.
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“As part of this, we will monitor the health of the volunteers for a year after their vaccination.”
This is the first of two subunit coronavirus vaccine candidates from VIDO to enter clinical testing.
VIDO says subunit vaccines contain purified viral proteins that are not infectious and do not require ultra-cold storage temperatures.
“I think where our protein vaccines will have an advantage is they will better protect against these new variants,” Gerdts said.
Once it passes Phase 1 testing, COVAC-2 will move to Phase 2 testing. VIDO says this will involve hundreds of people across the country to examine the vaccine’s safety and the immune response the vaccine generates in people.
“This milestone of reaching a Phase 1 human trial is a testament to VIDO’s world-renowned expertise in infectious disease research both for human and animal health,” said Dr. Baljit Singh, vice-president of research at the University of Saskatchewan (USask), where VIDO is located.
“USask is on the forefront of vaccine development and this is another achievement in advancing VIDO as Canada’s centre for pandemic research.”
VIDO is also undertaking the construction of a manufacturing facility that could produce up to 40 million vaccine doses annually.
Construction on the facility is scheduled for completion later this year, with certification for vaccine production planned for 2022.
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