Two mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines Advance in U.K. and U.S.
ASGCT Staff - December 03, 2020
A vaccine from Pfizer and BioNTech was approved this week for emergency use in the U.K., while the FDA will meet this month to discuss its emergency use authorization in the U.S.
Two COVID-19 vaccines that use mRNA to teach the body to fight the virus are moving forward this week in the U.S. and the U.K.
The vaccine from Pfizer and BioNTech was aproved for emergency use in the U.K. Meanwhile, the U.S. FDA Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) and Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) will meet Dec. 10 to discuss emergency use authorization (EUA) of the vaccine.
The VRBPAC will also meet Dec. 17 to discuss EUA for a vaccine from Moderna.
Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines use mRNA to program a person's cells to produce many copies of a fragment of the virus. The fragment then stimulates the immune system to attack if the real virus tries to invade the body.
During ASGCT’s COVID-19 Symposium in September, attendees heard from researchers working on COVID-19 vaccines.
Kizzmekia Corbett, Ph.D., research fellow in the Vaccine Research Center (VRC) of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), talked about the VRC’s work collaborating on the Moderna vaccine. Watch Dr. Corbett's presentation below.
Sarah Gilbert, Ph.D., a professor of vaccinology at the University of Oxford and the co-founder of Vaccitech, talked about her role in the development with AstraZeneca of what is now known as AZD1222, an adenovirus vaccine. Watch Dr. Gilbert's presentation below.
Vincent Munster, Ph.D., chief of the virus ecology unit of the NIAID, also spoke during the COVID-19 Symposium's vaccine session. Dr. Munster discussed his research on primate models for SARS-CoV-2. Watch Dr. Munster's presentation below.
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