SIMFEROPOL (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 10th July, 2020) Crimean scientists have started developing a vaccine against the novel coronavirus infection, V.I. Vernadsky Crimean Federal University said on Friday.
"Crimean scientists are developing a vaccine against the new coronavirus using structures based on thiophosphate oligonucleotides," the university said in a statement, adding that its researchers have applied for a grant from the Russian Foundation for Basic Research for the development of a vaccine.
According to the university, the scientists will attempt to develop and successfully apply the oligonucleotide structure in the form of a lasso, which is able to simultaneously activate both cellular and humoral immunity, as the most effective COVID-19 vaccines will be those that can lead to the formation of highly effective memory cells of both humoral and cellular immunity.
"Unfortunately, RNA viruses are very variable, and in this situation, one of the most promising solutions in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic could be the creation of 'universal' vaccines based on conserved sequences of the SARS-CoV-2 genome (antigen-presenting) and unmethylated CpG-dinucleotides (adjuvants) as part of the thiophosphate backbone of single-stranded DNA oligonucleotides," the statement added.
The Crimean scientists believe that it is unmethylated CpG-dinucleotides that can prepare the host's immune system for the coronavirus infection and should be present in vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 as strong adjuvants, the university added.
