GlaxoSmithKline and Sanofi are working together on a vaccine for SARS-CoV-2, the Guardian reports.
In particular, the firms are building on the approach Sanofi uses to develop its influenza vaccine, it says. According to the Guardian, Sanofi has synthesized DNA encoding the spike protein of the coronavirus that can then be introduced into bacteria to generate copies of the antigen. At the same time, the firms are using an adjuvant developed by GSK to generate a strong immune reaction.
The Guardian reports that the firms together represent much of the world's vaccine manufacturing capacity and should be able to make vaccines at the scale needed for SARS-CoV-2, should the vaccine prove effective. "By combining our science and our technologies, we believe we can help accelerate the global effort to develop a vaccine to protect as many people as possible from COVID-19," Emma Walmsley, the chief executive of GSK, says in a statement.
The firms hope to begin phase I clinical trials later this year to have a vaccine in hand by the second half of 2021, the Guardian adds.