Chennai: Oxford University has said one of the frontrunners in the race for a vaccine against Covid-19 has been found to produce a strong immune response in all adult groups.
The university said this in reference to the ongoing clinical trials of its vaccine candidate with British pharma giant AstraZeneca.
Though the results from these early trials are yet to be officially released, Professor Andrew Pollard discussed the promising findings at a research conference recently.
The ChAdOx1 nCov-2019 vaccine, called AZD1222 by AstraZeneca, is currently undergoing worldwide trials.
The latest findings, submitted for a peer-reviewed journal to be considered for publication in the coming weeks, will further boost these hopes.
According to a statement from Oxford University, “Professor Pollard discussed the early findings of the Phase II safety and immunogenicity trial of the ChAdOx1 nCov-2019 Oxford coronavirus vaccine at a research conference.”
“These early results covering trial volunteers from the UK in the 56-69 and 70+ age groups have been submitted to a peer-review journal, and we hope to see their publication in the coming weeks,” it said.
The statement added: “Our ongoing trials will provide further data, but this marks a key milestone and reassures us that the vaccine is safe for use and induces strong immune responses in both parts of the immune system in all adult groups.”
Meanwhile, AstraZeneca said that the initial results further build the body of evidence for the safety and immunogenicity of its experimental vaccine, one of around 10 promising Covid-19 vaccine candidates globally.
“The results further build the body of evidence for the safety and immunogenicity of AZD1222,” a company spokesperson stated.