Vaccine testing begins in Australia

Researchers at the University of Queensland in Australia have begun testing a vaccine for the novel coronavirus－named COVID-19 by the World Health Organization－on animals, with human clinical studies expected in July.

For researchers around the world it is a race against time to find a vaccine for the deadly virus. Since the outbreak was first detected in Wuhan, researchers in China and in several other centers around the world have been working to find a vaccine.

According to the university, researchers in China were quick to pass on data about the virus sequence. "That gave us the viral genome we needed," said doctor Paul Young, head of the university's School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences.

A team of 20 scientists has been working around the clock to find a vaccine.

The university's Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Peter Hoj, said the team has shown considerable progress in line with the highly accelerated time frame of the rapid-response program.

"There is still extensive testing to ensure that the vaccine candidate is safe and creates an effective immune response, but the technology and the dedication of these researchers means the first hurdle has been passed," Hoj said.

New technology

The work in the lab shows the feasibility of using the university's "molecular clamp" technology to engineer a vaccine candidate that could be more readily recognized by the immune system, triggering a protective immune response.

Researchers said the early research had gone "as expected "and the material created had the properties that allowed the team to proceed with vaccine development.

Professor Raina MacIntyre, head of the biosecurity program at the Kirby Institute at the University of New South Wales and an expert in influenza and emerging infectious diseases, said a vaccine would help by preventing infection but may not be available for 12 to 18 months.

"We are close to a pandemic, but there is still hope the epidemics in Iran, Italy (and) South Korea can be controlled," she said.

"Australia has done an excellent job of preventing sustained transmission in the country. However, if epidemics grow in other countries, so will the risk.

"Hopefully, the trends of a declining epidemic in China will continue."

Nigel McMillan, director in infectious diseases and immunology at Menzies Health Institute Queensland at Griffith University, said a vaccine is 18 months away and will be useful, but only after the virus "goes pandemic".

"It will eventually become just another cold (or) flu type virus we have to deal with and (which) mostly kills old and very young people," McMillan said.