It is reported that the recombinant protein COVID-19 vaccine developed by the State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, was approved for clinical tests by the National Medical Products Administration on August 21. During the research and development of the vaccine, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the National Health Commission, the National Medical Products Administration, the Ministry of Education, and other departments at the provincial and municipal levels provided great support. Besides, the research team has received substantive support and cooperation from many domestic scientific research institutes.
The vaccine targets SARS-CoV-2 and uses its spike protein receptor binding domain (S-RBD) to produce neutralizing antibodies to block the virus from infecting human cells. Previously, researchers from the laboratory published a relevant research paper in the world famous journalNatureon July 29, which is also the first work thatNaturehas published on novel coronavirus vaccine this year. The vaccine was found to be a good protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection in monkeys and other animals, and no obvious side effects were observed.
The vaccine uses insect cells to propagate in a large number in culture solution, and introduces the gene of novel coronavirus into insect cells. The cells can be used to mass-produce high-quality recombinant protein, and the technology is easy to be put into large-scale production for the market. Recombinant protein has been used in cervical cancer vaccine and influenza vaccine. Those vaccines have been put on the market in Europe and North America, and their safety in human body has been verified.
The research team is actively promoting the clinical trial and the mass production of vaccine in the High-tech Zone in Chengdu. It is working on a production line with an annual output of over one hundred million doses of injection, and the complete set of equipment will be developed and produced domestically. Apart from the vaccine for novel coronavirus, the company is now using insect cell technology to produce rabies vaccine, influenza vaccine and herpes virus vaccine. It has obtained or applied for about 40 patents for its products and technologies. The team has applied for multiple patents with the National Intellectual Property Administration(IPR) regarding novel coronavirus vaccine since February this year.
