Australian researchers are one step close to a coronavirus vaccine as trials show it DOES generate an immune response in humans
- An Australian-developed vaccine has shown it can trigger a defence to Covid-19
- In a trial of 40 volunteers none experienced any significant side-effects
- The vaccine will now move to phase two where up to 500 people will take part
- Aged-care home residents in Victoria could be given the vaccine for protection
A coronavirus vaccine developed by Australian researchers has generated an immune response to the disease and been proven safe for use in the first round of human trials.
The vaccine known as ‘Covax-19’ was developed by professor Nikolai Petrovsky from Flinders University in Adelaide and cleared the phase one trial this month.
It is the first Australian-developed vaccine to pass the first round of trials, which sees the treatment tested on 40 volunteers, none of whom recorded any significant side effects.
The vaccine known as ‘Covax-19’ cleared the phase one trial this month after it developed an immune response to coronavirus in human subjects. Pictured are volunteers in the study
‘We have confirmed that the Covax-19 vaccine can induce appropriate antibody responses in human subjects,’ Prof Petrovsky told The Australian.
The study will now move onto phase two trials which will give up to 500 people the vaccine in September.
Prof Petrovsky said the study has also been approved to include vulnerable individuals such as cancer patients, children and the elderly.
The vaccine developed by professor Nikolai Petrovsky from Flinders University reported no significant side-effects in any of the 40 volunteers who received it. Pictured is Prof Petrovsky withdrawing the vaccine into a syringe
The vaccine will also be given to those who have already had coronavirus to see if the new drug can boost their immune system even further.
Prof Petrovsky said he is in talks to give the promising vaccine to aged-care residents who are at risk of contracting coronavirus in Victoria.
‘Obviously our vaccine is still under testing, it would have to be done within a clinical trial but there’s no reason you couldn’t enrol people in Victorian nursing homes into the trial and give them the vaccine which would hopefully then protect them,’ he said.
‘We know it’s not going to hurt because we now know that the vaccine is completely safe.’
The vaccine will also be given to those who have already had coronavirus to see if the new drug can boost their immune system even further
Prof Petrovsky founded biotech firm Vaxine which has previously developed successful vaccines for swine flu and two forms of bird flu.
The company is already preparing for a potential phase three trial which would see 50,000 people tested and would likely target countries suffering the most from the virus.
The University of Queensland is also working on a coronavirus vaccine but testing is still in phase one.