Oxford University COVID-19 vaccine hopes rise with strong trial results
London: Researchers at the University of Oxford believe they may have a breakthrough in their search for a COVID-19 vaccine after the team discovered that the jab could provide "double protection" against the deadly coronavirus following early stage human trials, according to media reports in the UK.
Blood samples taken from a group of UK volunteers given a dose of the vaccine showed that it stimulated the body to produce both antibodies and killer T-cells, a senior source from the trial was quoted by The Daily Telegraph' as saying.
The discovery is promising because separate studies have suggested that antibodies may fade away within months while T-cells can stay in circulation for years.
However, the source cautioned that the results, while extremely promising, did not yet prove that the Oxford vaccine provides long-lasting immunity against the deadly virus.
I can tell you that we now know the Oxford vaccine covers both bases it produces both a T cell and an antibody response. It's the combination of these two that will hopefully keep people safe. So far, so good. It's an important moment. But we still have a long way to go, the source said.
Another source close to the team described the presence of both antibodies and T-cells as a double defence against COVID-19.
The Lancet' medical journal has confirmed that it would be publishing early-stage human trial data from the Oxford team on Monday.
David Carpenter, chairman of the Berkshire Research Ethics Committee, which approved the Oxford trial, said the vaccine team was "absolutely on track".
"Nobody can put final dates things might go wrong but the reality is that by working with a big pharma company, that vaccine could be fairly widely available around September and that is the sort of target they are working on," he said.
The vaccine development, by the university's Jenner Institute, is being supported by the UK government and AstraZeneca, which will support the production phase.
The pharmaceutical company said last month that phase one trials were due to finish and a phase three trial had begun which will see the vaccine given to thousands of people so it can be tested for efficacy and safety.
The COVID-19 vaccine trial team have been working hard on assessing the safety and immunogenicity of ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, and preparing to assess vaccine efficacy, Sarah Gilbert, professor of vaccinology at the university's Jenner Institute who is leading the research, had said back in May.
The vaccine, named ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, is based on a weakened version of the common cold that causes infections in chimpanzees. It also contains the genetic material of the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 the strain of coronavirus that causes the COVID-19 illness.
The Oxford University vaccine is one of more than 100 in development as the novel coronavirus continues to spread infecting more than 13 million people and killing at least 582,000 worldwide.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Nashik court sends ‘godman’ Kharat to 3-day police custody in 7th sexual exploitation case
Nashik (PTI): A court in Maharashtra's Nashik has remanded self-styled astrologer-cum-godman Ashok Kharat to police custody till April 29 in the seventh case of sexual exploitation registered against him.
Kharat, a former Merchant Navy officer arrested on March 18, is accused of sexually exploiting several women and indulging in large-scale financial fraud by claiming to have divine powers and knowledge of black magic.
In the seventh case, Kharat sexually exploited a married woman who had approached him in search of solutions to her family problems.
ALSO READ: ED cracks down on suspected interstate liquor racket, raids 9 sites in Arunachal
The accused allegedly gave the woman something to drink, sexually assaulted her while her husband sat outside his office and threatened to kill her if she told anyone about it.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT), which is probing into 12 cases of sexual exploitation and financial fraud registered against Kharat in Nashik and Ahilyanagar districts, on Sunday filed a request application in the court demanding his custody in the seventh case.
Kharat was produced in court for a virtual hearing in the seventh case on Monday.
The prosecution demanded six-day police custody for Kharat, citing the discovery of a locker in Kharat's house during the investigation, from which the police recovered two blank cheques and other documents, all of which have to be probed.
The court agreed to the prosecution's demand and remanded Kharat to three-day police custody till April 29 in the case.
Kharat has been at the centre of a political firestorm, as he was well-connected, and photographs of him with political leaders and other important members of society have been surfacing in mainstream and social media since his arrest.
