New York: A COVID-19 vaccine candidate co-developed by the pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and the German biotech company BioNTech induces a “robust” immune response in healthy adults aged 18 55 years, according to an interim report of an early phase clinical trial, published in the journal Nature on Wednesday.
The researchers noted that BNT162b1 is an RNA vaccine that elicits an immune response by mimicking the mRNA molecule used by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 to build its infectious proteins.
According to the study the vaccine candidate is delivered intramuscularly, and enables human cells to produce proteins part of the SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain, against which the immune system is trained to produce antibodies.
They said such vaccines are generally considered safe and have facilitated the rapid development of vaccines against SARS-CoV-2.
They said it is one of several RNA vaccine candidates that are being studied in parallel for selection to advance to a trial of their safety and efficacy.
According to the study, antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 were present 21 days after a single vaccination at all dose levels, and there was a substantial increase in SARS-CoV-2-neutralising antibodies seven days after the second 10- g or 30- g dose was given. (PTI)
