《柳叶刀》：中英两项新冠疫苗研究成功在临床试验中引发免疫
权威医学期刊《柳叶刀》于周一刊发了两项新冠疫苗临床试验结果，两种疫苗均使用了腺病毒载体，并且都报告了疫苗实现对新冠病毒的免疫反应。
Two COVID-19 vaccine candidates, one from China and the other from the UK, have proven safe for humans and produced strong immune reactions among patients involved in two separate clinical trials, The Lancet medical journal announced on Monday.
其中一项来自詹纳研究所，由牛津大学和阿斯利康公司支持研发。周一，牛津大学公布了疫苗临床试验的第一阶段成果，这个实验涉及1000多名受试者，他们的年龄在18岁到55岁之间。
科学家们表示，这种疫苗可提供“双重保护”，它不仅能通过免疫系统的自然反应产生抗体，还会产生可以直接杀死病毒的T细胞。
The first trial, which the World Health Organization (WHO) claims is leading the global vaccine race, is from Oxford University. It's regarded as one of the most advanced for development.
On Monday, the university published its results from the first phase of human trials, which involved more than 1,000 adults in UK aged between 18 and 55.
Screenshot from Lancet's Twitter account
Scientists say the vaccine contains a "double protection" against the disease. Not only does it produce antibodies – which are the immune system's natural response – it also produces T-cells that directly kill virus infected cells.
"Well I think there's increasing evidence that having a T-cell response as well as antibodies could be very important in controlling COVID-19," professor Adrian Hill, Director of the Jenner Institute, Oxford University told CGTN.
"We see people who've recovered from a COVID illness who have essentially no measurable antibodies but do have T-cells. So the guess there is that the T-cells have been important in helping them to clear their infection," Hill said.
研究人员称，下一步的临床试验受试者将包括老年人，届时疫苗将被完善。目前的实验结果主要关注的是实验室里的免疫反应实测，需要进一步的实验来证实疫苗是否能有效预防感染。
The UK vaccine, called AZD1222, is developed by AstraZeneca and scientists at Oxford University. Authors say further clinical studies, including in older adults, should be done with this vaccine.
Current results focus on immune response measured in the laboratory. Further testing is needed to confirm if the vaccine effectively protects against infection.
'Chinese counterpart'
《柳叶刀》发布的另一项疫苗研究结果，来自中国军事科学院军事医学研究员陈薇院士团队与康希诺公司合作研发的Ad5载体新冠疫苗二期临床试验。
试验共有508 名受试者，其中包括 382 名疫苗接种者和 126 名安慰剂接受者。疫苗接种后无严重不良反应发生，并成功诱导免疫反应。
A separate trial in China involving 508 people has also yielded "much better" results in its Phase II in terms of the safety and ability to trigger immune response, a previous study shows.
The Chinese vaccine, named Ad5-nCOV, is developed by CanSino Biologics Inc and a military research unit. The Lancet said Phase 3 trials are needed to confirm whether the vaccine candidate effectively protects against SARS-CoV-2 infection.
康希诺公司介绍说，由于中国国内的疫情被成功控制，大规模的疫苗实验实施有难度。疫苗开发人员正与俄罗斯、巴西、智利和沙特阿拉伯等方面联系，进行第三阶段的试验。
According to the company, China's success in driving down COVID-19 infections has made it harder to conduct large-scale vaccine trials.
The vaccine developer is in talks with Russia, Brazil, Chile and Saudi Arabia to launch a Phase III trial of its experimental COVID-19 vaccine, its co-founder said on Saturday.
"We are contacting Russia, Brazil, Chile and Saudi Arabia (for the Phase III trial), and it's still in discussion," Qiu Dongxu, executive director and co-founder of CanSino, told an anti-viral drug development conference in Suzhou, in east China's Jiangsu Province.
Screenshot from Lancet's Twitter account
Global vaccine race
世卫组织发言人玛格丽特·哈里斯表示，这两种疫苗被包括在超过21种已在人体测试中显示出希望的“预备”疫苗之中，这些项目有莫德纳，BioNTech和Inovio Pharmaceuticals等众多生物科技公司参与。
哈里斯还提到，我们要关注的不仅是如何加快相关研究并继续分享成果，更重要的是，如何公平地分配疫苗资源，确保那些最危险的人被优先保护起来。
The two are among more than 21 candidate vaccines that have shown promise in human testing, along with projects involving Moderna, BioNTech, and Inovio Pharmaceuticals, according to Margaret Harris, spokeswoman at WHO.
"We know we've got lots of options here, but we can't put it down to days of weeks," she told CGTN when asked if it's possible to make more accurate projections on vaccine timetables.
Harris also mentioned it's important to look at not only how to accelerate relevant researches and keep on sharing, but also how to distribute this fairly, who to prioritize and ensure that those most at risk are protected first.