Mark Shotov, director of the “Vector” National Virology and Biotechnology Research Center of the Russian Federation’s Consumer Rights Protection and Public Welfare Supervision Agency, said the center had developed an intranasal novel coronavirus vaccine on May 21.
Maxiutov said that the center has selected the three vaccines with the most potential from the six vaccines developed to prepare for clinical trials at the end of June. One of the vaccines based on peptide antigen is not only different in functional origin but also different in immune methods and programs. It is not the usual intramuscular administration, but intranasal drip administration. The technical route for the development of this vaccine was well-validated when the Ebola vaccine was developed in 2018.
The animal test results of the above three vaccines showed that there was no increase in body temperature and no adverse reactions were observed after injection of the vaccine. This shows that animals show good tolerance to vaccination. In order to monitor possible changes in the animals’ lungs, the researchers also used X-ray machines to confirm, Maksiutov said.
The Russian National Science Center for Vector Virology and Biotechnology in Siberia is a leader in the research and development of novel coronavirus vaccine. Using recombinant protein vaccines and synthetic vaccines, the center has made every effort to develop vaccines on six technical routes, and has used influenza vectors, measles vectors and vesicular stomatitis virus vectors. Animal trials of six vaccines have been carried out on April 13.
Prior to this, the Gamaliya National Research Center of Epidemiology and Microbiology of the Russian Ministry of Health cooperated with the Russian Ministry of Defense to develop an adenovirus vector vaccine and tested all the staff of the center who developed novel coronavirus vaccine. Ginzburg, director of the center, said tests showed that the vaccine performed well and had produced protective antibodies. But he pointed out that this should not be seen as a trial of the vaccine, which is self-protection to continue the work.
World Health Organization (WHO) has put the research results of nine novel coronavirus vaccines developed by Russia on the waiting list, of which six are developed by the “Vector” National Science Center for Virology and Biotechnology, and two are from the Russian biomedical company Biocad,1 from the St. Petersburg Vaccine and Serum Research Institute.