The U.K based company, SpyBiotech formed out of the University of Oxford in 2017 has devised a new COVID-19 vaccine on an experimental basis which has now begun human trials in Australia in partnership with the Serum Institute of India, the world’s largest manufacturer of vaccines by volume.
SpyBiotech’s experimental shot, one of several dozen vaccines in human trials around the world, has begun going into volunteers in phase I/II trial in Australia run by the Serum Institute, which will eventually enrol several hundred participants, said Sumi Biswas, chief executive officer of the company and a professor at Oxford’s Nuffield Department of Medicine.
This is one of the most advanced COVID-19 shots currently in final-stage trials and is in partnership with AstraZeneca Plc wherein the company had a deal with AstraZeneca earlier this year to produce 1 billion doses of the Oxford shot developed by Sarah Gilbert at the university’s Jenner Institute
“The vaccine uses a virus-like particle from the Hepatitis B antigen as a carrier, employing the company’s proprietary SpyCatcher/SpyTag “superglue” technology to attach the coronavirus spike protein to induce an immune response. The virus-like-particle has been used for decades in a licensed vaccine against Hepatitis B. SpyBiotech’s technology allows antigens to be bonded to virus-like-particles in a way that enhances stability and effectiveness,” Biswas said in an interview according to the Livemint
“It is a bacterial superglue technology which allows you to attach antigens onto different vaccine delivery platforms.COVID-19 has definitely accelerated the development of our company’s platform,” she added.
SpyBiotech has raised 15 million pounds ($19.8 million) in funding from investors including GV (formerly Google Ventures) and Oxford Sciences Innovation.
