UW Medicine developing new coronavirus vaccine
SEATTLE - While the pandemic spreads across our country and infection rates continue to climb in Washington State, there is good news in the race to develop a vaccine.
Monday, UW Medicine announced promising early results related to a new vaccine under development. A recent report published in a medical journal said the drug has proven initial success in lab mice and primates and is produced in a way that could make mass-producing a vaccine easier than other options.
“It was great, it was easy,” said Jennifer Haller, one of the first volunteers in Puget Sound who rolled up their sleeves to help.
It was in mid-March when Haller received an experimental COVID-19 vaccine. So far, initial results of Moderna’s vaccine shows promise.
Haller told Q13 News today she's doing great and continues volunteering in the trial.
It all began King County months ago when some of the very first U.S. COVID-19 victims perished, and a novel coronavirus pandemic was declared. Since then researches have scrambled to learn how to beat it.
“The antibody appeared to go up and sustained," said microbiologist Deborah Fuller.
“Being able to manufacture at scale for target populations is going to be key,” said molecular virologist Jesse Erasmus.
Chris Pirie with HDT Bio in Seattle said advancements in technology and medicine are making the search for a coronavirus vaccine easier than if the pandemic arrived only a few years ago.
“We would have been relying on, in many ways, antiquated technologies to try and address this,” said Pirie.
UW Medicine has been working with HDT on the latest vaccine. Pirie said Seattle is uniquely positioned to combat coronavirus.
“We have all of the pieces in place,” he said.
Moderna’s vaccine development is still in human trial phases. UW Medicine and HDT’s vaccine could start human trials by this fall.
If all goes well the vaccine could be available for the public by next summer.
Pirie said about half-a-dozen coronavirus vaccines are in development across the country and there are even more being studied around the world.
While Seattle is home to world-class universities, medicine and bio-technology companies, area doctors are learning how the impact for healthcare workers and people everywhere.
“This is what I say is the revolution,” said Fuller. “We’ll always remember pre-covid and post-covid because we’ve accelerated these technologies.”
The National Institute of Health says thousands of volunteers are needed for large scale clinical trials. Anyone seeking to be part of the research can visit this website here.