For the first time, a COVID-19 booster vaccine, which has the potential to defend against several viral types at the same time, is being tested in people.
After being administered into muscle, the vaccine, known as GRT-R910, makes use of a novel technique known as self-amplifying messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA), which repeats itself. mRNA is used in the COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna. mRNA instructs our bodies on how to produce a protein that causes an immune response, but it is not capable of self-replication.
Previously reported by Insider, self-amplifying mRNA offers lower dosages than current vaccinations, which means it may be both cheaper and more effective, as well as having fewer adverse effects.
According to the firm, the study, which is funded by the National Institutes of Health in the United States, will ultimately include 20 participants, all of whom will be above the age of 60.
According to a news statement issued on Monday by Gritstone, the US pharmaceutical firm that created GRT-R910, the vaccine has the potential to enhance the immune response of "first-generation COVID-19 vaccines" against a "broad variety" of coronavirus variations.
"The immunological response may offer a greater benefit than an extra dosage of the same vaccination," Dr. Andrew Allen, chief executive officer of Gritstone, said.
According to Gritstone, the results of the study will be available in early 2022.
The study's local lead investigator, Andrew Ustianowski, who holds an honorary clinical chair at the University of Manchester, said in a statement that "we believe GRT-R910 as a booster vaccination will elicit strong, durable, and broad immune responses, which are likely to be critical in maintaining protection of this vulnerable elderly population who are particularly at risk of hospitalization and death."
Andrew Clarke, 63, and his wife Helen Clarke, 64, were the first people in the world to receive GRT-R910 on Monday as part of an early-stage study at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust in the United Kingdom, according to the company.
It is possible that self-amplifying mRNA will be produced on hospital sites that are specifically suited for particular epidemics, rather than in huge centralized factories.
GRT-effectiveness R910's in additional vulnerable groups will be investigated in the future, according to Professor Ian Bruce, the head of the Manchester COVID-19 Research Rapid Response Group, who made the announcement.
The second dosage of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine was recommended by the Food and Drug Administration on Friday for individuals 65 and older who have had all of their vaccinations, as well as for younger people who are at risk of severe disease.
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