University in western Turkey approaches animal trials for COVID-19 vaccine
Ege University in the western province of Izmir has completed their antigen design, which is the first step toward a DNA vaccine for the COVID-19. The Vaccine Research and Development Team at Ege University will be developing a vaccine with the antigen, which they hope to start testing on animals soon, Medicine Faculty's Mert Döşkaya said.
Duvar English
Western Izmir’s Ege University’s (EU) Vaccine Research and Development Team has started testing the antigens they’ve developed for a COVID-19 DNA vaccine, they said April 14.
“We’ve completed antigen design, which is the first step in our work. We will determine the effectiveness of the DNA vaccine we will develop with these antigens and we hope to start animal trials in four months,” EU Medicine Faculty Lecturer Dr. Mert Döşkaya said.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said that more than 50 institutions around the globe, Döşkaya noted, adding that the work being carried out in Turkey are approximately at the same stage as others around the world.
“Five experiments have entered the clinical stage, meaning they’re conducting human trials. Others are preparing for animal trials.”
The EU Vaccine Research and Development Team was founded two and a half years ago, and it involves 32 scientists from local universities, the Health Ministry and the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry, as well as local research centers.