saRNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccine

We will rapidly progress a synthetic vaccine against the novel Coronavirus into human studies within months. We have determined the genetic sequence (code) for the dominant surface exposed protein of the virus, the key target for protective immune responses. We have modified this sequence to express a highly stabilised version of the protein, maximising its potential to evoke protective antibodies. We have used this modified sequence to generate a ribonucleic acid (RNA) based vaccine that can be amplified within cells following injection, maximising its expression. Our RNA vaccine delivers the genetic instructions that tell muscles to make the viral surface protein which alerts the immune system to make protective antibodies. The advantage of our fully synthetic manufacturing process means that millions of doses can be made within weeks. This project will support clinical grade manufacturing of our candidate vaccine, preclinical safety testing and healthy volunteer studies to assess safety and immune potency of our vaccine. Should this first phase be successful we would progress to wider clinical testing, including studies to determine its protective effects against natural infection before making our vaccine widely available.