Topics: Pharmacology, Vaccines, Invention
One of the owners of the Los Angeles Lakers, Dr. Patrick Sun-Shiong, is developing an oral coronavirus vaccine that will simplify the vaccination process, reports The Daily Mail. All three vaccines approved for use in the US - from Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson - work by creating antibodies that neutralize the spike protein used by the coronavirus to invade and infect human cells.
But the team's new vaccine targets the globular center of the virus, which doesn't mutate as often. In addition, the team says the vaccine will be faster, cheaper, and easier to administer because it doesn't need to be stored at low temperatures. In the trial, which is currently in phase I, volunteers were divided into four groups to see how well the oral form of the drug worked.
The first group receives only pills, the second group receives only an injection, the third group receives pills and an injection, and the fourth group receives nothing. According to the developers, the oral form of the vaccine should initiate the emergence of T cells. The team believes that by generating both antibodies and T cells, recipients will have long-term protection. Plus, by introducing the vaccine orally, we purposefully protect the mucous membranes, intestines, mouth and nose, scientists say.
