We’ve all been sitting in our homes for
months now, and most days we hear something
about how the vaccine to stop the spread of
COVID-19 is just around the corner.
There are actually over 160 vaccines in development,
but two in particular are making the most
headlines; one from Moderna Inc and another
from University of Oxford.
But what makes these two so special?
And how close are they really to being available
to you and me?
To summarize; There are a variety of vaccine
types, and the biggest difference between
them is how they use the pathogen in the vaccine.
It can be a whole pathogen, just a piece of
it or a newer method using the DNA or RNA
of the pathogen.
This new method, also known as a Nucleic Acid
vaccine development, are what Moderna and University of
Oxford are both creating.
Typically, for a vaccine to go from the lab to our bodies is a process that takes anywhere
from seven to fifteen years.
But we’re already seeing nucleic acid vaccines
near the final stages of their development
in a matter of months.
This speediness is possible because these
vaccines seem to be safer, cheaper, and easier
to both handle and make.
See, all a team needs to make this vaccine
is the pathogen’s genetic code, not the
actual virus itself.
So in the case of COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2’s
entire genome was sequenced in January 2020
and then uploaded to a public database for anyone
to use.
And then, the race was on.
Moderna made headlines early in the pandemic
because they were one of the first to take
this sequenced genome and combine it with
their already developed mRNA technology called
mRNA-1273.
mRNA, or messenger RNA, is an instruction
molecule that, well, does kind of what it
sounds like; it instructs a cell on how to
use that genetic code.
So to get a lil technical, the team at Moderna
isolated the part of SARS-CoV-2’s genome
that makes the infamous “spike protein”
that we see on coronaviruses.
Then, they implanted that genetic code into
an mRNA molecule.
Aaand that’s the vaccine candidate!
When injected into the human body, that vaccine
will enter our cells, instructing them to
use the viral code, and making our own cells
produce their own “spike proteins”.
Our immune system can then identify those spike
proteins as foreign stuff and begin doing
what it does best to protect our body and produce antibodies to remember the infection for future protection
Now, the best part about this technique, remember,
is that the virus isn’t actually in our
body.
The vaccine is just mimicking what that would
‘look’ like to our immune system.
So this mRNA method skips the usual time-intensive development process that’s required
when to using live-viruses in a vaccine.
So great, we know
how it works.When will we have it?
Like all viable vaccines, these two promising
candidates will have to pass the three major
phases of development.
With each phase of clinical trial, the
amount of people the vaccine is tested on
increases.
As of July 27th, Moderna was the first U.S.
vaccine candidate to enter a human clinical
trial with 30,000 healthy participants who
are at “high-risk” of contracting COVID.
Many are coming from hotspot locations around
the U.S. that have increased rates of infection,
so scientists will be able see how the virus and the
vaccine candidate interact in the real
world.
But waiting for that data to come back in and be
processed will take a while, and it makes
it a bit harder to get a reliable timeline
on when we’ll finally get a vaccine for
widespread use.
In Moderna’s case, they’re aiming to have
preliminary data by the end of year, and they’re
hoping to have their vaccine available sometime
in 2021.
Their manufacturing partner, a Swiss company
named Lonza, plans on helping Moderna create
up to one billion doses.
That is, if it’s approved. And as far as the
race goes, University of Oxford is not too
far behind them.
Instead of an mRNA molecule, University of
Oxford is using a weakened and modified version
of a chimpanzee adenovirus vaccine vector.
That’s basically a harmless virus that
causes colds in chimps.
Their vaccine is called the (ChAdOx1 nCoV-19) 
or AZD1222 and it also uses the genetic code for 
the coronavirus “spike protein”.But instead
of placing it inside an mRNA molecule, the
team placed these instructions inside the
adenovirus.
This induces a similar immune response to
protect the body from future infections.
What makes ChAdOx1 so promising is that this
method has been used before on another coronavirus
called MERS, of which there was an outbreak
in 2012 . And unlike mRNA technology, the
Chimpanzee adenovirus itself has already been
studied for a number of years, and has already
been genetically altered so that it’s impossible
for it to grow in humans.
That means it’s safe to give to children,
the elderly, and those with pre-existing conditions
like diabetes.
Oxford’s vaccine is already entering the
final stages of their trial, which includes
thousands of participants.
The team estimates “a couple of months”
for their data to come in, but again, the
timeline is uncertain.
But if everything goes to plan, the Australian
government has already signed a letter of
intent with distribution company AstraZeneca
to secure 25 million doses of the vaccine.
Because money is what’s really pushing these
vaccines through the door.
The U.S.’s action plan, called “Operation
Warp Speed”, is investing in both these
candidates heavily, with almost $2.5 billion
going to Moderna and $1.2 billion to AstraZeneca
and University of Oxford.
This is in order to reach Operation Warp Speed’s
goal to distribute 300 million doses by January
2021.
That’s an aggressive timeline that many
doubt is even feasible.
Not only would this be the fastest vaccine
ever created, but also the first ever approved
nucleic acid vaccine.
So as of right now, our best hopes are that
either Moderna or Oxford’s vaccines will
prove to be safe, and effective, and that
one or both will be available and affordable
for me and you.
In terms of when this will all happen, the
best we can optimistically say is maybe “sometime
in 2021”.
So until then, practice social distancing,
wash your hands, wear your mask, and stay
safe . For you and those you love.
