Contract development and manufacturing organisation (CDMO) Cobra Biologics and the Karolinska Institutet (KI) have been awarded €3 million in emergency funding to take a DNA vaccine for Covid-19 through phase I clinical trial testing.
DNA
The funding, awarded by Horizon 2020, comes as part of the OPENCORONA consortium – a research call announced by the European Commission designed the accelerate a DNA vaccine for Covid-19.
The project will utilise Cobra’s 50L DNA suite in Sweden to produce plasmid DNA for the potential vaccine. It’s hoped the the wider scientific community will benefit from data produced from the project, with relevant research and results being made available.
To date, no approved human Covid-19 immunotherapy or vaccine exists, and in response to the outbreak, speed in therapy and vaccine R&D is critical. First trials in humans for the DNA vaccine are expected to begin in 2021 and will take place at the Karolinska University Hospital.
Peter Coleman, chief executive at Cobra Biologics, said: “The partners within the OPENCORONA consortium are all industry experts, with the expertise, track record and belief to deliver a successful outcome. Cobra is privileged to have been invited to participate and contribute to fight against Covid-19, as this virus continues to impact the globe exponentially.”
Matti Sällberg, head of Department of Laboratory Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, commented: “The need to find an effective vaccine is urgent and we are working as quickly as possible to find one. With this funding from the EU we will have secured a significant part of the financing going forward, which means that we can focus entirely on the research. It is a relief to know that we are now financed all the way to studies in humans.”