China's candidate coronavirus vaccine 'BBIBP-CorV' displays promising results in animals, human trials underway

New Delhi, India

Chinese researchers are developing a vaccine for COVID-19 which has exhibited powerful results in monkeys. According to the researchers, the vaccine in question triggered antibodies in the animals, and did not lead to any complications or safety concerns.

Human trials for the vaccine have begun on 1,000 participants.

Also read: Coronavirus: 7.2 million infections worldwide, countries fear second wave

The potential vaccine is called BBIBP-CorV and works by activating high-level antibodies that are capable of neutralising the virus, and prevent further infection. Published online in the medical journal Cell, the vaccine candidate was tested on monkeys, rats, guinea pigs, and rabbits.

"These results support the further evaluation of BBIBP-CorV in a clinical trial," researchers mentioned in their study.

A worker is seen inside the Beijing Applied Biological Technologies (XABT) research and development laboratory in Beijing on May 14, 2020. XABT is a Chinese company specializing in developing pathogens diagnostics, among them reagent kits for the COVID-19 coronavirus. | AFP

Developed by the Beijing Institute of Biological Products, in tandem with state-run China National Pharmaceutical Group, BBIBP-CorV is one of the five vaccines being tested on humans in China.

Globally, the race to find a vaccine has amped up, as countries are now fearing a surge in reinfection as people start resuming normal life. The United States is already witnessing a spike in cases due to the ongoing protests, with 21 states reporting a surge in cases. India, and Brazil continue to induct record cases daily, with the curve not expected to flatten soon.

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Around 100 vaccines are being developed across the world. Companies at the forefront in decrypting the virus include AstraZeneca, Pfizer, BioNtech, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Moderna, Sanofi and China's CanSino Biologics.

BBIBP-CorV appeared safe in animals and was able to trigger an immune response. Fears of boosting the infection were averted. This phenomenon - Antibody-Dependent Enhancement (ADE) was not visible in animals, but the results may vary in humans, due to the difference in physiology.

Sinopharm, another Chinese conglomerate is testing a potential vaccine on humans, currently being developed by its unit in Wuhan, where the virus first emerged. The company has invested $141 million into vaccination development.

Coronavirus has infected over 7.2  million people globally, as per data from the Johns Hopkins University. Currently, 7,240,085 people have been infected with the virus, while 411,279 people have lost their lives to the pandemic, which went global six months ago, after wreaking havoc in China.

The five worst affected countries according to JHU tracker are: US (1,979,850), Brazil (739,503), Russia (484,630), United Kingdom (290,581), followed by India (276,146).

(With inputs from Reuters and AFP)