Good read - thank you!
FUNDING! Bring it!
Coronavirus Vaccine
GeoVax’ long history of working with infectious disease provides the education and experience to launch a program for the novel coronavirus now designated SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, prior to the magnitude of the risks being understood in the Americas, the company began efforts to construct a vaccine candidate using the GV-MVA-VLP platform based on the genetic sequence of the virus provided by Chinese authorities. On January 27th, GeoVax announced a collaboration with BravoVax, a vaccine developer in Wuhan, China. BravoVax has a number of technology platforms, including bacterial fermentation, cell and virus culture, purification, formulation and quality control. While they have not yet produced a Modified Vaccinia Ankara (MVA), they have the necessary infrastructure to do so with a partner that can provide the seed virus. Both companies will work in parallel to advance the vaccine candidate with regulatory authorities following completion of vaccine construction. Animal testing is expected to begin soon, first in China then in the United States. The pair will also pursue government funding for the vaccine efforts from Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA).
In the Americas and Europe, GeoVax is working with Emergent Biotechnologies and IDT, a global CDMO based in Germany to produce a coronavirus vaccine. At this stage it is too early to know when first clinical trials will start; however, additional funding from government sources will accelerate the process. GeoVax has designed, developed, constructed and characterized its candidate and expects to move into mouse immunogenicity studies. The next steps for vaccine development require the identification of the proper large animal model, followed by additional animal testing, then a move into the clinic. Under an optimistic scenario, clinical work can begin before year end.
In a recent press release, GeoVax highlights the $27 billion of emergency funding that is available from the recent $2 trillion appropriation that is expected to be used in part to develop treatments and vaccines for the pandemic. We anticipate that the coronavirus crisis will open up government funding globally to address infectious disease to a greater degree than has been done in the past.
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