The biology of coronavirus COVID-19 - including research and treatments

[JaneL]

Have any of the vaccines been tested on immunocompromised patients?

A phase 1/2 trial of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine was started in July looking at how the vaccine works in people who are HIV positive compared to people are are HIV negative:
https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04444674

I learnt that from Hilda Bastian’s very helpful timeline of the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine trials:
http://hildabastian.net/index.php/100

 

[FMMM1]

Indeed, it's policy based 'evidence'.

Yip standard advice for policy folks:
1) evidence based policy development - that's the official Government stance;
2) policy based evidence development - your Minister wants something done --- go "develop" the evidence base!

 

[hinterland]

Is there any reason to believe that the dysregulated (upregulated) RNase-L pathway that has been reported in ME/CFS would make an mRNA vaccine less effective?

https://me-pedia.org/wiki/Ribonuclease_L

 

[rvallee]

 

[Wits_End]

So, the UK is to be the first country to administer the Pfizer vaccine, and they even had Clare Gerada on the news tonight telling a couple of people with queries how safe it was. I feel so reassured ...

EDIT: Also, this seems a bit odd, and doesn't fill me with confidence. Is it common for producers of new vaccines to be indemnified against legal action if the vaccine has any nasty effects on anyone?
http://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknew...government/ar-BB1bzBv0?ocid=ASUDHP&li=BBoPWjQ

 

[Amw66]

Does anyone know what the adjuvant is?

 

[Snow Leopard]

Does anyone know what the adjuvant is?

The Pfizer vaccine doesn't contain a separate adjuvant. It is simply the mRNA gene for the spike protein with a (proprietary) lipid coating (so that the mRNA survives long enough to be transcribed).

 

[Binkie4]

@snowleopard

There is a few other conclusions that many people don't seem to realise - once you have been vaccinated with an adenovirus vector vaccine, you can't have subsequent booster (past the initial 2 doses) shots of it because the immune response to the adenovirus vector will prevent efficacy. Similarly, it means ChAdOx cannot be used as a vector for any other novel virus in the future, in recipients.

I haven't understood this fully. Do we know yet what is likely to be needed in terms of follow up doses after the initial two doses? And for which vaccine?

 

[Amw66]

The Pfizer vaccine doesn't contain a separate adjuvant. It is simply the mRNA gene for the spike protein with a (proprietary) lipid coating (so that the mRNA survives long enough to be transcribed).

Thanks , that's good to know
I was thinking more of the astra zeneca one - as it is more " traditional " ?

 

[FMMM1]

@snowleopard


I haven't understood this fully. Do we know yet what is likely to be needed in terms of follow up doses after the initial two doses? And for which vaccine?

There's a BBC Radio 4 program "How to vaccinate the world" which might help to provide some insight - a lot of these questions can't be answered yet --- once you've vaccinated a few million people, and time has elapsed, then you'll presumably have evidence of whether boosters are required and after what time period.

 

[hinterland]

Thanks , that's good to know
I was thinking more of the astra zeneca one - as it is more " traditional " ?

I'd like to know the answer on this too. Perhaps the adenovirus vector is sufficiently immunogenic that an additional adjuvant isn't needed??

 

[Binkie4]

There's a BBC Radio 4 program "How to vaccinate the world" which might help to provide some insight - a lot of these questions can't be answered yet --- once you've vaccinated a few million people, and time has elapsed, then you'll presumably have evidence of whether boosters are required and after what time period.

Thanks @FMMM1.

Do you have time details for the programme. Sounds interesting.

 

[MeSci]

Thanks @FMMM1.

Do you have time details for the programme. Sounds interesting.

This looks like it - introduction and 3 programmes: How to Vaccinate the World - Introducing How to Vaccinate the World - BBC Sounds

 

[Binkie4]

Thanks @MeSci

 

[FMMM1]

Thanks @FMMM1.

Do you have time details for the programme. Sounds interesting.

Just Google "Radio 4 Schedule" - you can access them via this link as well*:

Episode 3
How to Vaccinate the World
Tim Harford reports on what we know and don't know about the Oxford/Astra Zeneca Covid 19 vaccine with a panel of experts.
*https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000py6x

 

[Snow Leopard]

@snowleopard


I haven't understood this fully. Do we know yet what is likely to be needed in terms of follow up doses after the initial two doses? And for which vaccine?

We do not know yet. It really depends on whether the virus develops sufficient variation in the epitope region in 3-5 years - similar to the difference between flu strains for example, would require re-vaccination. I strongly suspect the vaccine induced antibodies will last at least 5 years, like most other vaccines.

I'd like to know the answer on this too. Perhaps the adenovirus vector is sufficiently immunogenic that an additional adjuvant isn't needed??

Thanks , that's good to know
I was thinking more of the astra zeneca one - as it is more " traditional " ?

The AstraZeneca vaccine is not in the least "traditional", as it uses an adenovirus vector - there are no currently approved vaccines like this at all.

The purpose of an adjuvant is additional immune system stimulation against foreign antigens. This would actually harm the efficacy of viral vector vaccines and mRNA (or DNA) vaccines since the vector would be eliminated by the immune system before it is able to be transcribed!

Adjuvants are typically used for subunit vaccines.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5084984/

 

[Amw66]

We do not know yet. It really depends on whether the virus develops sufficient variation in the epitope region in 3-5 years - similar to the difference between flu strains for example, would require re-vaccination. I strongly suspect the vaccine induced antibodies will last at least 5 years, like most other vaccines.





The AstraZeneca vaccine is not in the least "traditional", as it uses an adenovirus vector - there are no currently approved vaccines like this at all.

The purpose of an adjuvant is additional immune system stimulation against foreign antigens. This would actually harm the efficacy of viral vector vaccines and mRNA (or DNA) vaccines since the vector would be eliminated by the immune system before it is able to be transcribed!

Adjuvants are typically used for subunit vaccines.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5084984/

Thank you

 

[Binkie4]

Thanks @Snow Leopard. Helpful.

 

[Amw66]

Mixing vaccine trial?
How does this work ?

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...accine-trial-likely-to-begin-in-uk-next-month

 

[Snow Leopard]

Mixing vaccine trial?
How does this work ?

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...accine-trial-likely-to-begin-in-uk-next-month

To put it as an obscure analogy: you need to make two trips and your vehicle choices are a Ferrari Portofino and a Morris Marina.

These people are therefore arguing that one trip in a Morris Marina, the second trip in a Ferrari is cheaper than two trips in a Ferrari. Plus you still have the enjoyable experience of one trip in a Ferrari, rather than two mediocre trips in a Morris Marina, with risk of not getting to your destination on the second trip due to unreliability.