This archive report was first published on 14 July 2020.
July 14, 2020 - A breakthrough in the fight against Covid-19 is underway at Kansas State University, thanks to a Kenyan scientist.
Waithaka Mwangi, a professor of diagnostic pathobiology, has been appointed to direct a new research project aimed at developing a vaccine candidate for Covid-19 prevention.
The research is based on a new vaccine platform developed by Mwangi's team for the bovine parainfluenza 3 virus (BPI3V), which has been shown to be safe and stable in infants and children.
"A weakened BPI3V has previously been shown to be an effective vaccine vehicle in humans. More importantly, following extensive testing, BPI3V was shown to be safe and stable in infants and children," Mwangi said.
The research will be carried out at the K-State's Biosecurity Research Institute in Pat Roberts Hall, a biosafety level-3 facility.
Mwangi and his team have concentrated on the most critical protein of coronaviruses, the spike protein, which is involved in the infection of the host cell.
Their vaccine candidate has been engineered to display the spike protein in a manner that mimics the actual virus.
This is the fourth license agreement between K-State and corporate partners on technologies related to Covid-19.
