The US Army will begin testing among adult volunteers a Covid-19 vaccine developed by the Army that, according to the researchers, can protect against a variety of variants of the coronavirus.
Army doctors plan to begin testing the protein-based vaccine on Tuesday with up to 72 adults aged 18 to 55 at the Walter Reed Army Research Institute in Silver Spring, Maryland, the institute said. The team will test whether the vaccine safely induces the desired immune response in the study subjects.
The initial results of the study may be available in mid-summer. If the data is positive, the Army will likely try to join a pharmaceutical company to test and develop the vaccine, said Kayvon Modjarrad, director of the institute’s emerging infectious disease branch.
The experimental photo is among dozens in development, many aimed at improving the available photos. About 229 human vaccine trials are underway, according to BioCentury, which tracks the efforts.
Army researchers say his vaccine was protective in studies of monkeys who were exposed to the coronavirus.