Researchers have announced that the first trials of a Covid booster jab have started. It is expected to offer protection against a broad range of variants.
Covid jabs are currently being used in the UK to trigger an immune response against the coronavirus spike protein. This helps the virus enter human cells.
Different coronavirus variants have different mutations in the protein. Therefore, a vaccine that is effective against one variant of the virus may not work against another.
The new booster jab is designed to solve this problem by activating an immune response against the spike proteins and non-spike proteins in the coronavirus.
The vaccine does not only target the spike protein, but also the nucleocapsid proteins. It is much more stable than the spike protein, so it should be stronger against future and current variants. Prof Andrew Ustianowski, North Manchester General hospital consultant in infectious diseases, was the chief investigator of the study.
The collaboration between Gritstone Pharmaceuticals, Manchester University NHS foundation trust, and the University of Manchester is the phase 1. It will involve 20 participants over 60 who have all been previously vaccinated with AstraZeneca/Oxford jabs. Each participant will be given a booster with one of the two doses.
Ustianowski informed the Guardian that the Guardian's third and fourth participants received their doses Tuesday. It was expected that all 20 of them would be vaccinated within the next two to three week. Helen Clarke, from Bolton, and Andrew Clarke were the first to get the vaccine on Monday.
Ustianowski stated that the trial would examine safety and tolerability, as well as the development and boosting of immune responses to the spike protein. Results of interest are expected within the next few months.
Lawrence Young, a University of Warwick virologist and professor of molecular otolology, said that the new vaccine (known as the self-amplifying second-generation SarscoV-2 vaccine or SAM) was very exciting.
He stated that second-generation vaccines must stimulate an immune response to other parts and not just the spike protein as the current vaccines do.
The potential for an immune response to be stronger against all existing virus variants as well as any future ones by using parts of the virus is increased by using these less susceptible to changing virus variants. This SAM vaccine can be used as a booster shot following immunization with current vaccines. It is likely to produce a stronger and longer-lasting immune response, especially in those most at high risk, and the elderly.
Ustianowski stated that it was hard to predict whether the new jab would eliminate the need for Covid vaccines that could be modified to combat variants. He said that this is one of the goals for the vaccine. However, we must wait until the immunology and effectiveness data emerge. He said that the vaccine was designed with this aspect in mind.
