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We've Never Made A Successful Vaccine For A Coronavirus Before

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Professor Ian Frazer of the University of Queensland, notable for his involvement in the development of a vaccine for Human Papilloma Virus (also known as HPV) explains to ABC in Australia just how difficult it is going to be to develop a vaccine for Covid-19; and how a vaccine for SARS still hasn't been successfully developed.

Dr Frazer's description of the challenges which vaccine development has to overcome to create something which effectively works on an external part of the body really don't seem to align with the claims of a vaccine becoming available in the next 6-12 months; as politicians in certain countries have claimed.
Image: Rayyar, WIkimedia Commons

Comments

Paul said…
This ia absolute rubbish. There are many coronaviruses, of which a large number cause major disease problems in both domestic and mor importantly in livestock animals. The most Commonly used vaccine throughout the world, including any used against humans, and a highly successful one is against the avian coronaviruses infectious bronchitis virus. A coronavirus that causes a respiratory disease in domestic poultry. Virtually every commercial chicken, approximately 50 billion per year, are vaccinated against IBV. To repeat, to say we have never made a successful vaccine for a coronaviruses is completely untrue.
7 June 2020 at 16:38
elbowz said…
Thanks for your comment Paul, I guess the question here is how we define 'successful'.

Avian IB is treated with a combination of two vaccines - active and inactive. Both have issues. The live vaccine produces strong immunity, however it can revert to the virulent form, can be neutralised by maternal antibodies and is susceptible to both recombination and mutation. The inactive vaccine is weaker and produces a limited immunity, so requires repeated re-dosing, which can be both expensive and risky.

Even with these vaccines millions of birds and eggs are lost to Avian IB. The rapid mutation of the virus means that proportionally fewer strains are protected against over time; and the result is that research for a truly 'successful' vaccine is ongoing.
7 June 2020 at 22:20
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