- The team led by José Martínez-Costas at CiQUS (USC) expects that very thorough preclinical trials which will enable to make a leap towards clinical trials can commence within one or two months at CISA (Animal Health Research Centre)
- The European Commission grants funding in the framework of the European Vaccine Initiative (EVI) in order to continue with the project development
The group led by José Martínez-Costas at the Centre for Research in Biological Chemistry and Molecular Materials at USC (CiQUS), in collaboration with the group led by Javier Ortego (CISA-INIA), enters a new research phase for the development of a COVID-19 vaccine. The European Commission has just granted it specific funding for carrying out very thorough preclinical trials on experimental animals which, if the results are satisfactory, will enable to “proceed to the clinical phase of trials on humans”, argues Martínez-Costas.
The quest for a COVID-19 vaccine, started by CiQUS group at the beginning of April under the protection of the Instituto de Salud Carlos III, now extends thanks to the funds from the European Commission. “Certainly, a major boost to our work to which also adds the private funding we have received from Banco Santander and CRUE Universidades Españolas (Spanish University Rectors Association), also in collaboration with the team led by Luis Enjuanes and Isabel Sola at the Spanish National Centre for Biotechnology (CNB-CSIC)”.
Microspheres within cells to activate immunity
Since April, the Galician team at CiQUS works on the development of a COVID-19 vaccine based on a new methodology developed at the centre and patented by the USC (University of Santiago de Compostela) which provides low-cost results within tight deadlines.
This work stream, as Professor Martínez Costas explains, allows for the production of vaccines against any pathogen. “We make cells from whatever origin produce microspheres and insert viral antigens within them”. These particles “are purified very easily and have an inherent capacity to stimulate the immune system, making them ideal as vaccines for coronavirus, which mainly affects older people whose immune system is usually weakened”, argues this researcher. Over the past few months, “we have developed various versions of the microspheres. Now, we are going to characterise them by using sera from patients given by HULA (Lucus Augusti University Hospital)”, he adds.
The team at CiQUS is working on the generation of the vaccine, whereas animal testing will be carried out at the Animal Health Research Centre (CISA) in Valdeolmos (INIA, Madrid) and at the HZI (Germany). This phase is now possible thanks to the European Commission funding, which “will allow us to proceed to the next phase of clinical trials if the results are successful and it constitutes a very important step forward”, according to this researcher. “While these trials are carried out, we will conduct alternative tests in CISA-INIA laboratories and develop other possible versions of the vaccine formulation”, concludes Martínez-Costas.
