A potential vaccine for the novel coronavirus that has seen promising results in early tests in China is about to start a new round of human trials in Canada.
TORONTO -- A potential vaccine for the novel coronavirus that has seen promising results in early tests in China is about to start a new round of human trials — this time in Canada.It is referred to as Ad5-nCoV and was developed by CanSino Biologics Inc. with the Beijing Institute of Biotechnology. It was one of the first vaccine trials to be approved, gaining permission to carry out trials in China on March 16.
More trials are already underway in China to follow up on these results. Phase two of their trials is placebo-controlled and randomized, and involves 500 adults, including some over the age of 60.Dr. Scott Halperin, director of the Canadian Center for Vaccinology, toldThe first phase, which will require around 100 volunteer participants, will be focused on measuring the vaccine’s effect on the human body itself — essentially, whether there are any side effects that would make it unsafe.
Halperin said that testing a vaccine can usually take years. But in the middle of a pandemic, that’s not something anyone wants to hear. So Halperin's team will be carrying out tests "in a more accelerated fashion, without sacrificing any safety,” he said.
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