● SK enters animal testing stage for COVID-19 vaccine, “We are speeding up the development”
- SK bioscience succeeds in expressing a vaccine candidate. “We’ll soon catch up with the global research”
- Achieved safety by securing recombinant proteins using genetic recombinant technologyThe development of a COVID-19 vaccine has substantially sped up in Korea with domestic technology.
SK bioscience announced on the 23rd that it succeeded in expressing a candidate for the COVID-19 vaccine and entered the animal efficacy testing phase full-scale.
If the efficacy is confirmed in the animal tests, the vaccine candidate will enter non-clinical testing immediately to confirm its safety. At the earliest, a clinical trial could start in September as soon as the non-clinical study is completed.
SK bioscience has secured the vaccine candidate by processing an antigen (substances that are administered to the human body to form antibodies for immunity) created with genetic recombinant technology through various types of protein culture and purification platforms.
The vaccine candidates obtained this time are characterized by higher safety than other vaccines because they are in the form of subunits (antigens containing a part of the virus).
SK bioscience expects to be able to develop a COVID-19 vaccine with safety and efficacy in a short time based on its existing synthetic antigen production technology and experience in MERS vaccine development.
SK bioscience succeeded in developing a candidate for cervical cancer vaccine with the same platform, which is currently in Phase 2 clinical trials. The company also filed a patent for “Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS) S Protein Immunogen Composition and Manufacturing Method” in 2017.
Also, having an operating vaccine production plant (L HOUSE) with production facilities in Andong, Gyeongbuk, the company can enter production as soon as the vaccine development is completed.
Ahn Jae-yong, CEO of SK bioscience, said, “Feeling the responsibility of overcoming diseases that threaten humanity, we are focusing our capabilities on this task by having our 130 R&D personnel from our Pangyo R&D Center join the efforts.” He added, “We will establish a response system as soon as possible in cooperation with government organizations such as the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety.”
SK bioscience is a new vaccine company that was spun off from SK chemicals in July 2008. The company has developed vaccines independently, which include: SKYCellflu, the first cell-cultured trivalent flu vaccine in Korea, SKYCellflu Quadrivalent, the world＇s first cell-cultured quadrivalent flu vaccine, SKY Zoster, the world＇s second herpes zoster vaccine, and SKY Varicella, the second varicella vaccine developed in Korea.
* SK enters animal testing stage for COVID-19 vaccine, “We are speeding up the development”