A universal vaccine with the potential to be effective against all variants of Covid-19 could be developed within a year, according to the researchers.
The so-called second-generation jab, developed by scientists at the University of Nottingham, targets the nucleus of the virus as well as the peak surface protein.
If successful, the DNA vaccine can help protect not only against Covid-19, but also against any new strains of coronavirus that emerge in the future.
It comes after AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford said their vaccine offers limited protection against mild and moderate illnesses caused by the South African variant of Covid-19.
The Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines target only the spike protein, which allows the virus to enter a cell and, therefore, can lose effectiveness when mutated.
However, the researchers say the nucleocapsid (N) protein, which makes up the bulk of the virus’s particle, is “highly conserved” – which means much less likely to mutate.
The Nottingham vaccine would also be relatively simple to manufacture and would not need to be stored at ultra-low temperatures, according to Scancell.
“We don’t necessarily say it will be a pan-coronavirus vaccine, but it has the potential to be that way simply because of where it is targeted,” Dr. Gillies O’Bryan-Tear, the medical director of the immunology firm Scancell, who collaborates with Nottingham University, told the Daily Telegraph.
Dr. O’Bryan-Tear said the vaccine candidate needed a large pharmaceutical partner and hundreds of millions of pounds to subject it to the clinical testing process.
If such funding is available, it can be developed in one year.
“There is no reason why, if we get a partner, we can’t do it as quickly as the others did,” said Dr. O’Bryan-Tear to the Telegraph.
“I think the pandemic will last another two or three years, because of the offer, because we cannot vaccinate developing countries. During that time, the virus will mutate, so there are many opportunities for new participants to try their hands. “