The first platform for an anti Covid-19 vaccine designed specifically to counter the Omicron variant is ready in Italy and preclinical tests are expected to begin in a few weeks. This was announced by the biotech company Takis, which in collaboration with Rottapharm Biotech has been working for some time on the Covid-eVax vaccine, tested in phase 1 in humans. The vaccine against the Omicron variant is a second generation vaccine, i.e. based on the same platform as the Covid-eVax vaccine. The same platform has so far been adapted Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta variants and successfully tested in animals.
"Thanks to everything we have learned since the beginning of the pandemic, we have designed the Covid-eVax vaccine, Omicron version in a few hours and in a few weeks we will be able to test it in preclinical models", said Luigi Aurisicchio, CEO and director. Takis science. "As we try to defeat the pandemic, it is imperative to be proactive as the virus evolves," Aurisicchio notes. "Over the past few months we have generated near real-time modifications of Covid-eVax against Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta and many others, demonstrating their immunogenicity in animal models. Unlike previous variants, Omicron has a high number of mutations new, for this reason it is difficult to predict whether current vaccines are still protective:that's why we are moving as fast as possible to adapt our vaccine against this variant as well. "
For Lucio Rovati, president and scientific director of Rottapharm Biotech, "it is however essential to have more vaccine technological platforms such as Covid-eVax, which are readily adaptable to any new variants such as recall of the immune response previously induced by other vaccination platforms, or for the use in countries where vaccines are not currently available. Given the impact of the pandemic on our lives and on the world economy, Italy can do its part and make its experience available ".
The problem is once again the funds: "The fact remains - observes Aurisicchio - that the lack of funding currently prevents us from continuing clinical studies to carry out the development of this Italian vaccine. We hope that Italy with the resources of Pnrr can make strategic investments and encourage Italian research to make the country more competitive in the world of biotechnologies ".
