China Injects People with Test Vaccine
Photo: VCG
Chinese
volunteers in a clinical trial for the first COVID-19 vaccine developed
by the country's military scientists received injections on Friday,
marking a significant breakthrough that highlights China's strong
research capabilities, according to experts.
The first batch
of volunteers, all Wuhan permanent residents aged between 18 and 60, has
been divided into three groups, each consisting of 36 members, the
Science and Technology Daily reported on Saturday.
They will be quarantined for 14 days and researchers will follow them for six months to monitor any adverse reactions.
The
product is a recombined vaccine jointly developed by Tianjin-based
biotechnology company CanSino Biologics Inc and a research team headed
by Chen Wei, an expert of biological hazard prevention and control from
the PLA Academy of Military Medical Sciences and a major general of the
Chinese military.
Since arriving in Wuhan in late January,
Chen's team has undertaken pharmaceutical and toxicological research for
a COVID-19 vaccine in cooperation with local companies, based on the
military team's previous successful experience in developing an Ebola
vaccine.
Unlike other clinical trials, in the trial conducted by
Chen's team, volunteers do not need to be infected with the novel
coronavirus after receiving the vaccination. Rather, the researchers
will test if anti-bodies have been created and if the volunteers have
become immune to the virus.
The product passed a clinical
research registration review and was approved for clinical trial on
Monday night, about 19 hours after the US announced it would start human
trials for the first coronavirus vaccine, revealing the two largest
economies are level in the race to resolve the public health crisis.
US
researchers administered the first injections in the country's first
trial of an experimental coronavirus vaccine on Monday. The US' vaccine
candidate, code-named mRNA-1273, was developed by the National
Institutes of Health and the Massachusetts-based biotechnology company
Moderna Inc.
The development of the recombinant vaccine involved
inserting the novel coronavirus' DNA encoding antigen into other
microorganisms to create a new virus, which will not infect receivers
with the disease, according to a Beijing-based immunology expert who
asked to remain anonymous.
The difference between a recombinant
vaccine and an RNA vaccine is that the former is protein-based and the
latter is an RNA sequence.
A recombinant vaccine requires a
longer research period than an RNA vaccine, but the fact that China is
beginning human trials shortly after the US demonstrates its strong
vaccine research and development capabilities, the expert told the
Global Times on Saturday.
He called the move a remarkable step
in the global competition of coronavirus vaccine development, showing
China's latest breakthrough in vaccine R&D.
Following
clinical trials, experts estimate it will take at least one year to
complete further procedures before the vaccine officially enters the
market. But some products may be available for emergency usage by the
end of this year due to Chinese authorities' nod to a green channel for
drugs and vaccines as well as the joint efforts of experts and
researchers across the country, according to analysts.
China
gave top priority to vaccine development as early as the beginning of
the outbreak and has been accelerating the process according to law and
on the premise of safety and effectiveness, Wang Junzhi, an academician
at the Chinese Academy of Engineering, told a press conference in
Beijing on Tuesday.
China's health authority previously announced
that some of the vaccines developed in the country could be available
in April for use in emergency situations, given that the country is
developing five types of vaccines at the same time, including an
inactivated vaccine, an attenuated influenza virus vaccine and a nucleic
acid-based vaccine.
While some analysts worry it could be
difficult to recruit volunteers for vaccine trials as the situation
gradually eases in China, Chinese netizens have actively expressed their
willingness to join the trials and contribute to research when it
expands to places outside Wuhan.
Hai Feng (pseudonym), who was
among the first group of volunteers to receive the trial vaccine on
Friday, told media that he had no regrets and that he "would do what he
could to help the country and society."
Li Ming (pseudonym), a
resident in Wuhan and the husband of a recovered COVID-19 patient,
signed up for the trial as soon as he heard of the call for volunteers.
"If
people have to live with the novel coronavirus for a long time, a
vaccine is the most important part of the efforts to fight against it,"
Li was quoted to have said by the Science and Technology Daily.
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WorldWire is a diversified account which mainly publishes breaking world news, entertainment, lifestyle, culinary and sports news from around the world.