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Initial results, from the University of Oxford, have shown that their COVID-19 vaccine has boosted immune responses in pigs.
Dr Stephen Griffin, Associate Professor in the School of Medicine, University of Leeds, said:
“The work done at Pirbright is an encouraging advance in support of the Oxford vaccine on three important fronts. First, it has been conducted in a large animal model, namely pigs, which we know recapitulate human-like responses to influenza vaccines better than many other systems. Second, it shows that a second dose of the vaccine, a so-called ‘prime-boost’ strategy, gives rise to far better responses than a single inoculation which might allay concerns arising from some of the earlier work on this and other spike-targeting vaccines. Third, it shows that the prime-boost strategy may well be achievable using the same vaccine rather than having to switch to an alternative platform for the second dose, which could conceivably delay roll-out of the vaccination programme.
“Whilst these studies will need to be repeated within human subjects, and the precise nature and longevity of the responses might require further investigation, this is a heartening study that can be built upon and ideally followed by other potential vaccine platforms for SARS-CoV-2.”
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Declared interests
Dr Stephen Griffin: “None to declare”