Moderna begins trial of ‘next-gen booster’ Covid vax

New York, March 16 : Biotechnology company Moderna announced that the first participants have been dosed in the Phase 1 study of mRNA-1283, the company's next generation Covid-19 vaccine candidate.

This Phase 1 dose-ranging study will assess the safety and immunogenicity of mRNA-1283, the company said in a statement.

"We are pleased to begin this Phase 1 study of our next generation COVID-19 vaccine candidate, mRNA-1283," said Stephane Bancel, Chief Executive Officer of Moderna.



"Our investments in our mRNA platform have enabled us to develop this next generation vaccine candidate, which is a potential refrigerator-stable vaccine that could facilitate easier distribution and administration in a wider range of settings, including potentially for developing countries," Bancel added.

mRNA-1283 encodes for the portions of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein critical for neutralization, specifically the Receptor Binding Domain (RBD) and N-terminal Domain (NTD).



This Phase 1 study will evaluate three dose levels, 10 g, 30 g, and 100 g, of the mRNA-1283 vaccine candidate given to healthy adults as a 2-dose series, 28 days apart, and one dose level, 100 g, of mRNA-1283 given to healthy adults in a single dose, the company said.



These will be compared with a 2-dose series of 100 g of mRNA-1273, the currently authorised dose level.



mRNA-1283 is intended to be evaluated in future studies for use as a booster dose for previously vaccinated or seropositive as well as in a primary series for seronegative individuals.

--IANS

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Source: IANS