Tiba and colleagues from the King Abdullah University for Science and Technology (KAUST) today announce the award of a Near Term Grand Challenge to advance a pan-Betacoronavirus vaccine designed to be broadly protective against both SARS-CoV-2 and MERS-CoV. The ten-month $2.5M grant will lead to the submission of a pre-IND with the US FDA, setting the stage for eventual clinical trials on an accelerated timeline.
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the potential for rapid-response mRNA vaccines, but also the need for periodic boosters in the face of waning immunity and mutating viral strains. In an earlier collaboration the two teams developed a heterologous prime-boost vaccine candidate demonstrating robust protection against betacoronavirus infection. In this next phase of the project, Tiba will advance an mRNA prime while the KAUST team will develop a robust protein boost which together can protect at risk populations across Africa, the Middle East and Asia who are in MERS endemic regions where SARS-CoV-2 continues to circulate.
The Near Term Grand Challenge project is a rare opportunity to collaborate with world-leading scientists on a pan-betacoronavirus vaccine covering two pandemic threats in an endemic region where a novel vaccine approach is needed.
MERS-CoV is a zoonotic virus with an estimated 35% fatality rate, recognized by the WHO as an emerging disease with pandemic potential for which there is no available vaccine. Since 2012 there has been 2,578 laboratory-confirmed cases and 888 associated deaths, the majority of which occurred in Saudi Arabia, where this year alone 11 cases and 5 deaths were reported. While the most pathogenic strains remain within the Arabian Peninsula, over 70% of infected camel hosts are in Africa and other parts of the Middle East where there is growing evidence of human infection. Some of these same endemic regions are fertile ground for rapidly mutating SARS-CoV-2 variants, given their public health systems and population dynamics.
The Near Term Grand Challenge project offers a flexible approach: an mRNA component can rapidly respond to a new variant and a protein component can act as a recurring injection in the face of waning immunity. The team also sees the opportunity to establish a regional development hub and manufacturing facility serving the needs of neighboring MENA nations.
This is an extension to an earlier reported collaboration with KAUST’s Rapid Research Response Team (R3T), supporting healthcare stakeholders to combat the spread of COVID-19.
