Moderna's COVID Vaccine for New Variant, Ready for Clinical Trials

By Joshua Summers First Posted: Feb 24, 2021 09:22 PM EST

Alongside the crusade and vaccination of the COVID-19 vaccine across the United States is the continuous surge and rise of the COVID new variant that rattles humanity. Because of the new variant's existence, questions regarding the current vaccine's efficacy are on the rise. Those questions will slowly go off the charts as pharmaceutical companies take on the challenge of formulating vaccines geared to eliminate the virus's new variant.

Recently, Moderna announced that their vaccine for the South African variant is ready for clinical testing. The Wall Stress Journal shared on MSN that the company has made the initial batch of doses geared to protect people from the specific strain of the virus that has shown resistance to their original vaccine.

Moderna's New Strain Vaccine

Also called mRNA-1273.351, Moderna mentioned with CNBC that it is ready to be tested for trials to determine if it can be used as a booster shot against the South African strain, which is known to be B.1.351. CNBC added that the pharmaceutical company also shipped their vaccine to the National Institutes of Health. The Market Watch notes that the sent doses of vaccines to NIH will be utilized in a first human study which can start within weeks.

The Wall Street Journal shared with MSN that Moderna might be the first vaccine maker to finish the laboratory work of designing a shot focusing on the variants that started spreading rapidly late last year. It added that the chase for the newest phase in vaccine research to counter coronavirus indicates that the effort can change into a long-running contest between the mutating virus and vaccines that can keep up.

CNBC shared Moderna's CEO Stephane Bancel's words from a press release, saying that their company is committed to making as many updates in their vaccine as necessary until the global pandemic is under control. Bancel added that their company hopes to demonstrate that booster doses if needed, can be done at a lower amount which can allow them to offer many more quantities in the global community in late 2021 and 2022.

The Wall Street Journal pointed out that COVID-19 vaccines from other companies have expressed reduced effectiveness against the South African variant. Yet, Moderna showed muted effects against the variants in lab tests. Furthermore, people who previously received two doses of Moderna's original vaccines will be given the new shot. Simultaneously, researchers track the vaccine's safety and ability to stimulate an immune response against the new variant.

A quick fix

According to The Scientist, the standard approaches in designing or redesigning a vaccine are the most swift. The Scientist explained that this is because the vaccines pack the genetic recipe for the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, which is inside the nanoparticle, then engulfed by cells and teach the immune system to recognize them. Sarah Caddy, an immunologist from the University of Cambridge, shared with The Scientist that the companies will be using chemically synthesized mRNA, making it no cells needed, much quicker to make and purify.