Vaccine 411 - tracking the race to find a cure for the Coronavirus - Covid 19

<p><strong>Vaccine 411 061120</strong></p><p>This is Vaccine 4-1-1, As the race for a COVID-19 vaccine continues, here are the numbers:</p><p>136 vaccines are in development, according to the World Health Organization.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>126 are in pre-clinical trials.&nbsp;</p><p>7 are in Phase 1 Clinical Trials</p><p>2 are in Phase 2 one each from the U.S. and China</p><p>1 is in Phase 2b/3 in the United Kingdom</p><p><br></p><p>On this episode of Vaccine 411… a dive in to The University of Oxford and AstraZeneca’s leading candidate.&nbsp;</p><p>First, the news… Good news from Johnson and Johnson, they are ahead of schedule and will begin Phase I early stage human trials in late July as opposed to September.&nbsp;NBC news reports, Johnson and Johnson are using the same technology they employed in their experimental Ebola vaccine in late 2019.&nbsp;If the vaccine is a success, they intend to have 600 to 900 million doses available by April 2021.&nbsp;Reuters reports The Beijing Institute of Biological Products, published a paper in “Cell” medical journal, noting that their vaccine has triggered high level, neutralizing antibodies that can block the virus from infecting cells.&nbsp;And that it raised no safety issues in monkeys.&nbsp;A phase I human trial is under way.&nbsp;Coronavirus Task Force Member Dr. Fauci, told CNN the U.S. Government will help fund three Phase III vaccine studies: &nbsp;Moderna, Johnson and Johnson and Oxford University/AstraZeneca.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p>The Jenner Institute at Oxford University had a bit of a head start in the race for the COVID-19 vaccine.&nbsp;The lab had previously developed the technology needed for the vaccine while working on other viruses, including a close cousin of COVID-19.&nbsp;They were able to adapt and modify a weakened version of the common cold virus with spike glycoprotein from the COVID-19 virus. Tricking the body in to fighting the fake COVID-19 virus and creating antibodies for future protection from the real virus.&nbsp;Phase I trials began in April