NorthWest Biotherapeutics Inc (NWBO)

[longfellow95]

Should anyone be interested, Cobra Biologics (owned by Cognate) is part of the consortium with probably the lead vaccine candidate in the UK.

And now that consortium has signed up with Astra Zeneca:-

AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford today announced an agreement for the global development and distribution of the University’s potential recombinant adenovirus vaccine aimed at preventing COVID-19 infection from SARS-CoV-2.

The collaboration aims to bring to patients the potential vaccine, being developed by the Jenner Institute and Oxford Vaccine Group, at the University of Oxford. Under the agreement, AstraZeneca would be responsible for development and worldwide manufacturing and distribution of the vaccine if the clinical trials prove successful in showing the vaccine is effective.

Pascal Soriot, Chief Executive Officer, AstraZeneca, said: “As COVID-19 continues its grip on the world, the need for a vaccine to defeat the virus is urgent. This collaboration brings together the University of Oxford’s world-class expertise in vaccinology and AstraZeneca’s global development, manufacturing and distribution capabilities. Our hope is that, by joining forces, we can accelerate the globalisation of a vaccine to combat the virus and protect people from the deadliest pandemic in a generation.”

Mene Pangalos, Executive Vice President, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, said: “The University of Oxford and AstraZeneca have a longstanding relationship to advance basic research and we are hugely excited to be working with them on advancing a vaccine to prevent COVID-19 around the world. We are looking forward to working with the University of Oxford and innovative companies such as Vaccitech, as part of our new partnership.”

Alok Sharma, UK Business Secretary, said: “This collaboration between Oxford University and AstraZeneca is a vital step that could help rapidly advance the manufacture of a coronavirus vaccine. It will also ensure that, should the vaccine being developed by Oxford University’s Jenner Institute work, it will be available as early as possible, helping to protect thousands of lives from this disease.”

Professor Sir John Bell, Regius Professor of Medicine at Oxford University, said: “Our partnership with AstraZeneca will be a major force in the struggle against pandemics for many years to come. We believe that together we will be in a strong position to start immunising against coronavirus once we have an effective approved vaccine. Sadly, the risk of new pandemics will always be with us and the new research centre will enhance the world’s preparedness and our speed of reaction the next time we face such a challenge.”

Cobra Biologics PR blurb at this link;_

https://www.cobrabio.com/News/April-2020/Andrew-Marr-Prof-Sarah-Gilbert-Oxford-COVID-19


If this candidate gets through trials and receives the go-ahead, then Cobra's role will almost certainly be providing some of the manufacturing plant. And that will likely be at their manufacturing plant in Matfors, Sweden. Though it wouldn't surprise me at all if Sawston came into play in order to up the manufacturing capacity.

And the type of vaccine being developed by this group is a chimpanzee adenovirus vector.

A chimpanzee adenovirus vaccine vector (ChAdOx1), developed at Oxford’s Jenner Institute, was chosen as the most suitable vaccine technology for a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine as it can generate a strong immune response from one dose and it is not a replicating virus, so it cannot cause an ongoing infection in the vaccinated individual. This also makes it safer to give to children, the elderly and anyone with a pre-existing condition such as diabetes. Chimpanzee adenoviral vectors are a very well-studied vaccine type, having been used safely in thousands of subjects, from 1 week to 90 years of age, in vaccines targeting over 10 different diseases.

https://www.ovg.ox.ac.uk/news/covid-19-vaccine-development


And here is a very good primer on the different types of vaccine in development (live attenuated, inactivated, viral vector, Sub-Unit, and RNA and DNA vaccines (no way Jose for me on those last ones!). And it covers some of the risks and pitfalls...:-

https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/05/the-ars-covid-19-vaccine-primer-100-plus-in-the-works-8-in-clinical-trials/


Personally, I'll position myself right at the back of the queue for whichever one comes around (they will all have had ridiculously accelerated development, and might not work or be safe).

"After you; no, after you!"