This archive report was first published on 28 April 2020.
As the world grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic, Oxford University is pushing the boundaries of science in the quest for a vaccine. The university is launching a human trial of a potential coronavirus vaccine, with the ambitious goal of making it available to the public later this year.
According to the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, seven research projects are currently in clinical trials, with trials already underway in China and the United States. The British government has given its full support to Oxford University's work, with Health Minister Matt Hancock hailing the 'promising development'.
The trial, which began on April 23, 2020, will involve 1,112 volunteers, with half receiving the potential vaccine and the other half a control vaccine. The volunteers are aged between 18 and 55, are in good health, and have not tested positive for COVID-19.
Professor Sarah Gilbert's team is aiming for an 80% success rate and plans to produce one million doses by September, with the goal of making it widely available by autumn if successful. However, the team acknowledges that this timetable is 'highly ambitious' and could change.
Despite the challenges, the Oxford vaccine is based on a chimpanzee adenovirus, which is modified to produce proteins in human cells that are also produced by COVID-19. It is hoped that the vaccine will teach the body's immune system to recognize the protein and help stop the coronavirus from entering human cells.
