Moderna Developing COVID-19 Vaccine That can be Stored in Fridge

Moderna, the biotechnology company is developing a potential refrigerator-stable Covid-19 vaccine that could facilitate easier distribution and administration.

Moderna, the biotechnology company is developing a potential refrigerator-stable Covid-19 vaccine that could facilitate easier distribution and administration, especially in developing countries.

"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 potential for developing countries," said Stephane Bancel, CEO of Moderna.

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‘Moderna said the new Covid-19 vaccine candidate could be stored and shipped in refrigerators instead of freezers. ’

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

This Phase 1 study will evaluate three dose levels, 10 microgrammes, 30 microgrammes, and 100 microgrammes, of the mRNA-1283 vaccine candidate given to healthy adults as a 2-dose series, 28 days apart, and one dose level, 100 microgrammes, 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 microgrammes of mRNA-1273, the currently authorised dose level.

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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.

The Moderna Covid-19 vaccine is an mRNA vaccine against Covid-19 encoding for a prefusion stabilised form of the Spike (S) protein, which was co-developed by Moderna and investigators from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease's (NIAID) Vaccine Research Center.

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On December 18, 2020, the US FDA authorised the emergency use of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine in individuals 18 years of age or older.

The company has also received authorisation for its Covid-19 vaccine from health agencies in Canada, Israel, the European Union, the UK, Switzerland, Singapore and Qatar.

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Additional authorisations are currently under review in other countries and by the World Health Organisation (WHO), the company said.

Source-IANS