A clinical trial is underway to develop a coronavirus vaccine

Adobe

The first participant in a clinical trial for a vaccine against COVID-19 will get an experimental dose today.

The trial for the vaccine, which is funded by the National Institutes of Health, is taking place at Seattle’s Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute. A government official spoke to the Associated Press about the trial anonymously because the agency hasn’t yet made an official public statement about it.

For the clinical trial, 45 young, healthy volunteers will receive different doses of the shots, which were co-developed by NIH and Moderna, Inc. The official told the AP that the participants in the clinical trial aren’t at risk of getting COVID-19 from the experimental dose because it doesn’t contain the coronavirus itself.

National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Disease Rocky Mountain Laboratory

The vaccine relies on genetic engineering to prod our cells into producing a tiny piece of the virus, which will prompt our immune systems to attack it. In the experimental vaccine, a snippet of messenger RNA contains “instructions to build the receptor on the virus’ surface that allows the immune system to target it,” according to the Guardian. If it works, our cells will fight the receptor on the surface of the virus without us ever getting sick.

The trial is designed to ensure that the experimental vaccine doesn’t cause side effects. If all goes well, this trial will let researchers move forward with larger tests.

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Rocky Mountain Laboratories

The New York Times reported that Moderna delivered the experimental vaccine to NIH in late February for early testing.

Research groups all over the world have been working to develop a vaccine for the new coronavirus. But this doesn’t mean you’ll be able to get a vaccine for COVID-19 soon. Public health officials have warned that it will take 18 months to develop and fully validate any vaccine that would be available to the public.

Disease & Illness, Health, News
,

Related posts

Woman sick with cold or flu
An at-home flu vaccine may be on the horizon for 2024
Nobel Prize winners Katalin Kariko and Drew Weissman
Nobel Prize in medicine awarded to developers of mRNA in COVID vaccines
Dr. Sara Goza explains an infant's upcoming vaccinations to his mother in an exam room in Georgia.
Polio is making a comeback and here's what you need to know
Claire Bridges in hospital room
Woman who lost both legs to COVID-19 encourages others to 'never give up'

About the Author
Jenn Fields
Jenn Fields serves as Simplemost Media’s managing editor from Colorado, where she worked as a reporter and editor, on staff and as a freelancer, at newspapers and magazines. After earning her master’s from University of Missouri’s journalism school, Jenn worked in community journalism for 10 years, writing and editing for the Boulder Daily Camera and Denver Post. Over her 20-year career, she has covered a diverse range of topics, including travel, health and fitness, outdoor sports and culture, climate science, religion and plenty of other fascinating topics.

From our partners