CV and mad panic behaviour

[Mav]

EnGeneIC: Potential new Covid-19 vax for mutant strains to be developed in Australia, news.com.au.

An Australian biotech tech company is the first in the world to develop a potential nanocellular Covid-19 vaccine that’s expected to be more efficient against mutant strains and better suited for patients with compromised immune systems.

The unique drug developed by Sydney-based company EnGeneIC has shown a better immune response and 95 per cent efficacy in its preclinical animal studies.

Phase 1 clinical trials in healthy humans have begun at Melbourne’s St Vincent’s Hospital to test the safety and appropriate dosage. Another trial is due to established in Sydney.

According to the company, the vaccine can be kept at room temperature, has a shelf life of more than three years and doesn’t have any added stabilisers or chemicals.

There is a focus on making the drugs suitable for patients with compromised immune systems — such as people with cancer, auto-immune diseases and other chronic diseases — who may not respond effectively to existing vaccines.

EnGeneIC co-chief Jennifer MacDiarmid said there was no vaccine to date that was directed towards immune-compromised people and they were excluded from other vaccine trials that wanted emergency approval.

“People with cancer, auto-immune diseases, chronic diseases, or even older individuals have a degree of immune-deficiency and are not likely to respond effectively to current vaccines,” she said.

“Our (cancer clinical) trials also show that our treatment is very safe since it does not harm healthy cells, and in fact it is groundbreaking in that it results in activation of healthy white blood cells (immune cells) in these vulnerable patients.”