“I can really genuinely understand everybody’s
frustration and maybe even confusion,”
said Kate Broderick, Inovio’s research and
development chief. “You can do everything as
fast as possible, but you can’t circumvent some
of these vital processes.”
BEHIND-THE-SCENES IN NIH’S LAB
The new coronavirus is studded with a protein
aptly named “spike” that lets the virus burrow
into human cells. Block that protein, and people
won’t get infected. That makes “spike” the target
of most vaccine research.
Not so long ago, scientists would have had to
grow the virus itself to create a vaccine. The
NIH is using a new method that skips that step.
Researchers instead copy the section of the virus’
genetic code that contains the instructions for
cells to create the spike protein, and let the body
become a mini-factory.
Inject a vaccine containing that code, called
messenger RNA or mRNA, and people’s cells
produce some harmless spike protein. Their
immune system spots the foreign protein and
makes antibodies to attack it. The body would
then be primed to react quickly if the real virus
ever comes along.
Corbett’s team had a head start. Because they’d
spent years trying to develop a vaccine against
MERS, a cousin of the new virus, they knew
how to make spike proteins stable enough for
immunization, and sent that key ingredient to
Moderna to brew up doses.
How to tell it’s a good candidate to test in people?
Corbett’s team grew spike protein in the lab
— lots of it -- and stored it frozen in vials. Then