Vaccines

UK researchers are set to undertake controversial human challenge trials to accelerate the testing of COVID-19 vaccines. The trials will begin by infecting healthy volunteers to investigate how low doses of the virus lead to acute disease.

In a wonderful case of blending an ancient therapy with modern tech, scientists gene edited the Leishmania major parasite to limit its infectivity. This allows the parasite to be given to patients in a vaccine, creating immunity without causing disease.

Some vaccines aren't very effective, which is due at least partially to the amount of time that they're active within the body. A new injectable hydrogel, however, could allow them to act for a longer period of time, making them more potent.

Following a swift independent investigation, large-scale trials for a COVID-19 vaccine developed by scientists at the University of Oxford are recommencing across the UK after a suspected adverse reaction triggered a global halt to trials last week.

COVID-19 vaccine trials conducted by Oxford University and AstraZeneca have been paused, according to a new report. One participant has fallen ill with an unknown illness, prompting investigations into whether it’s an adverse reaction to the vaccine.

Novel research has described the discovery of opioid antibodies produced by the immune system following chronic opioid use. The researchers suggest these antibodies may be responsible for some negative side effects seen in long-term opioid users.

Initial human trial results for a promising COVID-19 vaccine have been been published. The vaccine, developed at Oxford University, has been found to be safe and induce the two key immune responses needed to protect against coronavirus infection.

Researchers at Harvard have developed a new platform for producing vaccines. Red blood cells are loaded with antigens to generate a specific immune response, and in tests in mice the team showed that it was effective in slowing the growth of cancer.

Hot on the heels of biotech company Moderna’s recent announcement of successful phase 1 trials for its mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, two more promising candidates are delivering encouraging early data as several vaccines race into phase 2 human testing.

Illustrating the incredibly rapid pace of COVID-19 vaccine development, biotech company Moderna has revealed data from its Phase 1 human trials showing its experimental vaccine is safe, well-tolerated and generates significant antibody levels.

A new article from a quartet of scientific leaders, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, is suggesting it will take not one, but multiple successful vaccines to get through the COVID-19 pandemic and return to normality.

What happens once we develop an effective COVID-19 vaccine? How long will it take to vaccinate 7 billion people? How do we manufacture such a massive volume of vaccine ... and who will get it first?