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US Army testing universal vaccine to target all coronavirus variants
- SpFN, or Spike Ferritin Nanoparticle, has shown promise in non-human primate trials and early human trial results are expected this month
- Results suggest the shot could protect against Covid-19 variants and may also trigger a strong immune response against Sars-CoV-1
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The US Army is wrapping up early clinical trials on a vaccine it hopes will target all existing coronavirus variants.
Named SpFN, for Spike Ferritin Nanoparticle, it has shown promise in non-human primate trials and early human trial results are expected “this month,” according to a press release from the US Army Walter Reed Army Institute of Research released Thursday.
The jab could also help protect against other coronaviruses beyond Covid-19, which could offer hope against future pandemics.
The vaccine is designed on a new platform called “self-assembling protein nanoparticle.” Unlike most currently available vaccines, which use mRNA to trigger the immune system, this shot would work by injecting a molecule that looks a little like a 24-faced soccer ball, according to defence One.
Each face of the “ball” would carry a bit of the spike protein that can trigger the body to mount a protective immune response. This allows scientists to attach the spikes of multiple coronavirus strains on different faces of the “ball,” so the body could protect against several variants at once, instead of having to take a separate dose for each variant.
Early results in primates suggest the shot could work against Covid-19 variants and against other coronaviruses as well, the Army said.
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