April 07, 2020: “As of this morning – Tuesday April 7 – the current recorded case count for COVID-19 (coronavirus) in the UK has hit 51,608 with 5,373 deaths. UK biotech Imophoron says it has produced multiple COVID-19 vaccine candidates based on its novel vaccine platform ADDomer.
Having joined the University of Bristol’s COVID-19 Emergency Research (UNCOVER) Group, the start-up confirmed preclinical trials of these vaccines will begin “within weeks”. Imophoron is developing a new, “highly adaptable, easy-to-manufacture, rapid-response platform” for vaccines to combat present and future infectious diseases. Vaccines based on the ADDomer platform are likely to require no adjuvant, no refrigeration and have reduced risk of side effects, it said.”
“COVID-19 infects cells using its so-called `Spike’ protein. Most COVID-19 vaccines now being fast-tracked present the complete Spike to the immune system, which reacts by making antibodies. This approach risks inducing antibodies that bind to the wrong parts of the Spike and could make the disease even worse. Imophoron’s vaccines, in contrast, present only very specific parts of the Spike essential for cell entry and are potentially much less prone to this risk,” commented Professor Imre Berger, co-founder at Imophoron and director of the University’s Max Planck-Bristol Centre for Minimal Biology.
“The company also revealed that it is looking for partners to further the development of the COVID-19 candidates and the ADDomer platform.
WASH YOUR HANDS: Regularly and thoroughly clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or wash them with soap and water.
MAINTAIN SOCIAL DISTANCING: Maintain at least two metres (six feet) distance between yourself and anyone who is coughing or sneezing.
STAY AT HOME: Only go outside for food, health reasons or work (but only if you cannot work from home)”
http://www.bristol.ac.uk/news/2020/april/covid-19-vaccine-platform.html
