A Canadian pharmaceutical company says it has developed a viable vaccine candidate to treat the novel coronavirus and expects to begin human trials by the summer.
Medicago, based in Quebec City, was able to produce a Virus-Like Particle — or VLP — of the coronavirus 20 days after it received a sample of the gene that causes COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus. Production of the VLP is the first step in developing the vaccine, company officials said.
Unlike traditional vaccination development, Medicago said it uses plant-based technology to develop protein-based therapeutics. It does not use animal products or live viruses. Instead, the VLPs mimic the shape and dimensions of a virus which allows the body to recognize them and create an immune response in a noninfectious way, the company said.
“The pace of our initial progress in COVID-19 is attributable to the capability of our plant-based platform which is able to produce vaccine and antibody solutions to counteract this global public health threat,” said Dr. Bruce Clark, the company’s chief executive officer.
He told the Defense One website the company could produce 10 million doses every month if the regulatory path was cleared for them. The vaccine could become available by late 2021.
“The ability to produce a candidate vaccine within 20 days after obtaining the gene is a critical differentiator for our proven technology,” Dr. Clark said.
The company has a track record in dealing with public health challenges like COVID-19. In 2015, Medicago was able to rapidly produce an Ebola antibody cocktail for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In 2009, it produced a research-grade vaccine candidate for the H1N1 influenza virus in 19 days.
The company has a plant in Durham, N.C., which is expected to be part of the manufacturing of the vaccine.
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