Japan's AnGes Company Begins Clinical Trials On DNA Vaccine Against COVID-19 - Founder

Japan's AnGes Company Begins Clinical Trials on DNA Vaccine Against COVID-19 - Founder

Japan's AnGes biopharmaceutical company, which is developing a DNA vaccine against the novel coronavirus, has begun clinical trials in two groups of 30 volunteers, Ryuichi Morishita, the company's founder and a professor of clinical gene therapy at Osaka University, told Sputnik on Tuesday

TOKYO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 30th June, 2020) Japan's AnGes biopharmaceutical company, which is developing a DNA vaccine against the novel coronavirus, has begun clinical trials in two groups of 30 volunteers, Ryuichi Morishita, the company's founder and a professor of clinical gene therapy at Osaka University, told Sputnik on Tuesday.

Last week, the AnGes scientists told Sputnik that the second part of the studies, involving from 400 to 500 people, was scheduled for fall, and the company was expected to enter the stage of industrial production of the vaccine by spring. The main advantage of the DNA vaccine is its safety, as it does not use pathogens. Instead, the body creates antibodies in response to DNA information about the virus. The ability to produce a vaccine quickly and practically in unlimited quantities is an added advantage.

"They [the volunteers] are divided into two groups. One group will receive a lesser dose of the vaccine, the other bigger," Morishita said, adding that the first part of the trials includes the vaccination of 30 volunteers.

The vaccination will be carried out twice in an interval of two weeks, and the clinical experiment is expected to be completed on July 31, the professor added.

"But this does not mean that we can expect any results by that time," Morishita said.

On Tuesday, the Tokyo metropolitan government confirmed 54 new cases of the coronavirus infection, as business activities in Tokyo have resumed starting June 19, with the daily increment topping 50 for the fifth day in a row. On Sunday, Tokyo reported a record-high of 60 cases since Japan lifted the state of emergency for the city on May 25. The update brings the capital's tally to 6,225, with the majority of infections being detected in young people who have visited or work at nightlife establishments.