An experimental novel coronavirus vaccine produced by the biotechnology company Moderna protected mice from contracting the disease, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) reported in a press release on Wednesday
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 05th August, 2020) An experimental novel coronavirus vaccine produced by the biotechnology company Moderna protected mice from contracting the disease, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) reported in a press release on Wednesday.
"Mice given two injections of the 1-mcg dose and later challenged with SARS-CoV-2 virus either 5 or 13 weeks after the second injection were protected from viral replication in the lungs and nose. Importantly, mice challenged 7 weeks after only a single dose of 1 mcg or 10 mcg of mRNA-1273 were also protected against viral replication in the lung," the release said, citing an article published in Wednesday in the journal Nature.
Scientists at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which is part of NIH, and Moderna are developing what is known as an RNA vaccine in collaboration the University of North Carolina, Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the University of Texas, the release said.
Unlike a typical vaccine that uses weakened or modified pathogens to trigger an immune response, an RNA approach uses genetic material that instructs the body to make specific proteins that in this case would target the novel coronavirus.
Moderna's mRNA-1273 is currently in phase 3 human trials and is one of five leading vaccine candidates, according to a tracking website published by the Regulatory Affairs Professional Society.
