100 People in S’pore to Get Trial Vaccine That is Developed in S’pore

Boon Hun

2020-08-08 , 12:52 pm

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The Covid-19 pandemic has made a lot of people reflect on their lives.

I should’ve taken my family to South Korea last year instead of pushing it to 2020.

Damn, if I knew, I’d have accompanied my mom to JB for the last time before the borders slammed shut.

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2024?! By then, I’ll be like…old and crusty.

Yes, in case you don’t know what I’m talking about, it’s being unable to travel that is getting to people now.

Singapore Tourism Board (STB) chief Mr Tan previously said that a vaccine or an effective treatment must exist before people dare to freely travel again.

But what if I tell you that there’s been an update on the progress of a “viable vaccine”.

Previously, it was reported that Singapore has choped one of the seven “finalist” vaccines, the Lunar-Cov19, in the world right now.

If that’s not enough good news, the early-stage clinical trial for the vaccine is well-underway.

And on 8 Aug, it’s reported that the SingHealth Investigational Medicine Unit will be giving the first vaccinations to volunteers next week.

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More than 250 volunteers had stepped forward for the trials, Associate Professor Jenny Low said, and around 100 people will be taking part in the trial.

The volunteers range between their 20s and 50s.

The unit is on the lookout for more volunteers to participate in the trial, she said, especially for those in the older age group as the trial is open to people between 21 and 80 years old.

Professor Low said that the pre-clinical results are “promising”.

Now, they have to ensure that it’s safe so that the vaccine can move into the clinical trial stage.

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Currently, the trial’s objectives are:

The safety of the vaccine
The correct dosage
Check if the immune system, after taking the vaccine, will generate antibodies and T-cells against Covid-19

How It Works:

Traditional Vaccines: Introduce virus into the body

Traditionally, a vaccine teaches the immune system how to “recognise and remember” a pathogen by injected a “dead” or weaker form of the virus.

Your body immune system will recognise the “invader” and starts producing antibodies and T-cells to fight against it.

Lunar-Cov19: Create a virus within the body

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For the vaccine that is developed by Duke-NUS Medical School and United States pharmaceutical company Arcturus Therapeutics, it involves putting in only parts of the virus genetic material.

After they enter your cell, these parts will take over the cell and make it become like a pseudo-virus.

Then, your immune system will be ‘trained’ to recognise the virus and start preparing to fight against it.

Single-Dose Vaccine

Bloomberg reported that Arcturus and Duke-NUS aim to produce a single-dose vaccine, unlike some of the front-runner candidates which require double doses.

Double doses are necessary when a vaccine’s efficacy diminishes over time. The drawback of double doses is that it would probably cost more and be more difficult to distribute widely.

“A single dose will work so much better in terms of the logistics to get people protected against Covid-19″, said Ooi Eng Eong, deputy director of Duke-NUS’s emerging infectious diseases program.

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Interested in helping out?

Those interested in taking part in the trial can contact the SingHealth Investigational Medicine Unit at:

Email: imu@singhealth.com.sg
Telephone: 6323-7544 / 8318-0685

100 People in S’pore to Get Trial Vaccine That is Developed in S’pore

How It Works:

Single-Dose Vaccine

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