As part of NSTDA Annual Conference 2022, the International Webinar on Covid-19 took place on 29 March 2022. This event brought together the national and international leading scientists to present, share and discuss improvements and alternative solutions to cope with the global pandemic in order to increase knowledge and positively impact our responses to this pandemic.
In his welcome remarks, NSTDA Executive Vice President Prof. Prasit Palittapongarnpim underlined the importance of the next generation of vaccines that will provide a broader and more robust immune response. Chaired by Prof. Dr. Prasert Auewarakul of Thailand, the webinar had four distinguished speakers: Dr. Pieter Cullis, Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The University of British Columbia of Canada and the Prince Mahidol Awardee; Dr. George F. Gao, Director-General of Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention; Dr. Ernesto Oviedo-Orta, Senior Director of Medical Affairs, Regeneron Genetics Center of USA; and Dr. Anan Jongkaewwattana, Director of Veterinary Health Innovation and Management Research Group, BIOTEC Thailand. Approximately 100 participants attended the webinar.
Dr. Pieter Cullis shared the design of lipid nanoparticle (LNP) for the Messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) vaccine. The groundwork for lipid-based drug delivery systems was laid more than 40 years. His team has experience in optimization of the lipid composition for nucleic polymer delivery system. Ionizable cationic lipid was screened and selected for reducing the toxicity of LNP. The safety formulation was then used in the development of LNP Transthyretin (TTR) siRNA system which is the only one treatment for the Hereditary Amyloid Transthyretin amyloidosis. It was also the first FDA-approved siRNA-based gene therapy drug. For vaccine application, LNP mRNA delivery system carrying the Zika virus pre-membrane and envelope glycoprotein (ZIKV prM-E) mRNA was first developed by Dr. Pardi and team. In 2020, LNP mRNA coding SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein (S protein) for COVID-19 mRNA vaccine was initiated by the collaboration of Acuitas, BioNTech and Pfizer.
In his presentation, Dr. George F. Gao discussed the virology, vaccines and control of COVID-19. Details of the virus discovery & identification, human-infecting coronaviruses, SAR-CoV-2 variants, first line of the vaccine development in China, vaccine Development strategy, virus variants and human immune system were presented. He concluded his talk with a message encouraging the global sharing of vaccines.
Dr. Ernesto Oviedo-Orta presented the monoclonal antibody therapies for treating COVID-19. Both vaccines and monoclonal antibodies are currently being explored for use in treating COVID-19. However, there are key differences between the two. Although vaccines and monoclonal antibodies are both pathogen-specific, vaccines rely upon active immunity, whereas monoclonal antibodies rely on passive immunity. Dr. Oviedo-Orta concluded that antibody medicines could serve as an important bridge to a vaccine and may have utility beyond for certain people, such as those who are immune-compromised or do not respond to a vaccine. Both approaches are important and necessary to hopefully end the covid-19 pandemic.
Dr. Anan Jongkaewwattana elaborated on an advancement of viral vector-based COVID-19 vaccines in Thailand. Viral vector-based vaccines represent a highly versatile platform that offers several advantages over traditional vaccines. The Virology and Cell Technology Research Team at BIOTEC, NSTDA, has developed COVID-19 vaccines based on various viral vector platforms, including adenovirus, influenza A virus, and measles virus. These ongoing research activities have demonstrated the scientific capability of Thai researchers to develop safe and highly efficacious viral vector-based vaccine candidates that can provide complete protection against severe SARS-CoV-2 infection at least in animal models, supporting its further development as human vaccines in future clinical trials.
Watch the recording of this webinar at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLe-fp7Hu2E
Download presentations of this webinar at: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/11uUBbDacQQ8i7E0vIhkUdHMjSKlODdd4