Science: Scientists Develop New Coronal Vaccine Based on Successful Hepatitis B Vaccine

In a study published online today in Science Immunology, a multidisciplinary team of researchers has introduced a novel candidate vaccine for the new coronavirus vaccine. Based on the successful experience of the hepatitis B vaccine platform, the vaccine uses yeast to express the receptor binding domain (RBD) protein of Novel Coronavirus and is supplemented with a novel adjuvant to promote the immune response. At present, the experimental results of inoculating monkeys have shown good preventive effect.

In their paper, the researchers stress that the new coronavirus, which is being developed, is suitable for mass production and could help meet vaccination demand around the world, giving more people access to protection. On the other hand, candidate vaccines could be highly effective against emerging variants, which would be crucial to reducing the spread of the disease globally.

The development of a hepatitis B vaccine using yeast cells is an important milestone in the history of human vaccine prevention against viral infection, saving countless lives. The hepatitis B vaccine, in simple terms, uses recombinant DNA technology to allow yeast to express surface antigens specific to the virus. It is purified and made with adjuvants. The advantages of this technology platform include simple operation and high expression of the production system, which can be used for large-scale industrial production.