Australian lab announces to hold clinical trial for coronavirus vaccine

A research lab in Australia has announced clinical trials for a possible vaccine against coronavirus.

Nucleus Network said in a statement on Wednesday it will jointly hold trials with Novavax, a bio-tech company based in the U.S.

“Nucleus has a rich history of Phase 1 vaccine trials, and a long-standing track-record with Novavax; we are well positioned to implement rapid testing with first-in-human trials over the coming weeks,” said Cameron Johnson, chief executive officer (CEO) of Nucleus Network.

The first phase of the clinical trials is expected to begin in mid-May with results in July.

“With the capacity to conduct this trial across both our Melbourne and Brisbane clinics, we will be assisting Novavax to undertake Phase 1 trials and fast track NVX-CoV2373 to potential subsequent development as soon as possible,” adds Johnson.

It said that Novavax’s had also worked to develop vaccine for two other recent coronavirus epidemics – severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), along with prior work on Ebola (phase 1 trial conducted in Australia).

It said that the experience allows them to leverage their understanding of coronaviruses and adapt their research to create a vaccine for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

“As COVID-19 continues to impact the everyday life of all global citizens, finding a solution has become an urgent objective for governments and health organisations around the world. The world is watching and we’re on the front line, supporting Novavax to unlock the potential of a Coronavirus COVID-19 vaccine,” said Nucleus Network.