Nucleus Network, a clinical research center in Herston, is conducting early trials of a new at-home vaccine against COVID-19. The initiative is a partnership with Symvivo, a biotechnology company in Canada, which developed the needleless vaccine that may be stored at room temperature.
Around 24 Brisbane locals, between the ages of 18 and 55, are part of the first trial in Queensland. Nucleus Network will move on to a bigger trial if the results are promising.
The at-home vaccine is still awaiting approval from the Therapeutic Goods Administration. However, it is expected to be a game-changer as the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, the first available vaccine, has a strict storage requirement for a freezer with a temperature of -70C.
If the Symvivo at-home vaccine receives approval, it will allow for more people to receive protection against the virus directly from the comforts of their homes. The Symvivo could be self-administered as it is an oral vaccine. It is infused with probiotic bacteria, which has been genetically modified with synthetic DNA to induce an immune response against the virus, SARS-CoV-2 to prevent COVID-19.
“Our unique technology harnesses a genetically modified bacterial vector encoding a plasmid to safely and selectively deliver oral DNA vaccines and therapies directly to targeted tissues,” Symvivo said on its official site.
Nucleus Network’s Herston director, Professor Paul Griffin, said that Symvivo’s pre-clinical trials and tests in laboratories showed that it’s safe and effective against the virus. The company is hopeful that the human trials will deliver promising outcomes as well, but Mr Griffin held off commenting on the progress of the clinical trials before data proves its efficacy.
