scholarly journals Vaccine Development against COVID-19: Study from Pre-Clinical Phases to Clinical Trials and Global Use

Vaccines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 836
Author(s):  
Sagheer Ahmed ◽  
Saeed Khan ◽  
Imran Imran ◽  
Fadwa Al Mughairbi ◽  
Fahad Sultan Sheikh ◽  
...  

As per the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 288 vaccines against COVID-19 are being developed, with an estimated 184 being presently investigated in the pre-clinical phases, while 104 of these vaccine candidates are at various stages of clinical trials. Twelve of these are in the advanced stages of clinical investigation, and promising results in the phase 3 trials have already paved the way for their regulatory approval and subsequent dissemination for global use. Preliminary and interim results of some of these candidate vaccines are being analyzed for public dissemination. Some of these vaccines have already been rolled out to immunize not only the highest risk individuals but also the general population in several countries. Once their safety and efficacy are established, the next limiting step would be their mass manufacturing by the pharmaceutical companies to fulfill the global demand. The challenge of manufacturing billions of doses of high-quality vaccines is under-appreciated at the moment. A massive vaccination drive would be needed to protect people of all ages. The timely and coordinated execution of the vaccination effort would require unprecedented coordination at the national and international levels for generating funds to purchase the required doses of vaccines, fair distribution of doses and managing the mechanics of delivering vaccines throughout the world.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Surabhi Dixit ◽  
Monal Sharma

In December 2019, an unexpected outbreak was caused by novel corona virus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The lung disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 was given the name of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) by the World Health Organization (WHO) on February 11, 2020. Since its origin in the Hubei province of Wuhan city in China, now it has spread to 218 countries worldwide. Panic situation created by COVID-19 has compelled researchers and doctors to work collaboratively. To combat with the disease, every control measures are under consideration from drug discovery to vaccine development. In the management of disease, rapid diagnosis is equally important as development of vaccine and drug. At present, various diagnostic kits are available for COVID-19. With the disease progression, global demand for diagnostics is raising. So, this chapter will include the updates on efficient diagnostic assays and future of diagnostic.


2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 467-471 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan S Ellenberg

The first rumblings about a new coronavirus spreading in China were heard in January 2020. By the end of that month, the World Health Organization, recognizing the severity of the disease and the potential for global spread, had declared a public health emergency. By February 2020, cases had been identified in multiple countries, clinical trials of treatments with some biological plausibility had begun in China, and the initial steps of vaccine development were underway. In mid-March, by which time countries around the world were experiencing rapidly increasing numbers of cases and deaths, the World Health Organization categorized the outbreak as a pandemic. This new coronavirus was designated SARS-COV-2 in recognition of its similarity to the coronavirus responsible for the severe acute respiratory syndrome outbreak in 2002–2003. The race is on to develop treatments that can mitigate the severe consequences of infection and vaccines that can prevent infection and/or diminish the severity of disease in those who do get infected. Many challenges face these development efforts. Some are similar to those faced in the past; others are new. The urgency of finding ways to treat, and ultimately prevent, the consequences of this new and potentially deadly infection has led to unprecedented focus on clinical trials.


Vaccine ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 34 (26) ◽  
pp. 2863-2864 ◽  
Author(s):  
Birgitte K. Giersing ◽  
Kayvon Modjarrad ◽  
David C. Kaslow ◽  
Jean-Marie Okwo-Bele ◽  
Vasee S. Moorthy

Author(s):  
Afsaneh Noormandi ◽  
Mohammad Fathalipour ◽  
Reza Daryabeygi-Khotbehsara ◽  
Soheil Hassanipour

Background and objective: COVID-19 has since been declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO), infecting millions worldwide. The use of Interferon (INF) subtypes previously examined in the treatment of SARS and MERS is also being initiated in some clinical trials. Although different clinical trials were evaluated IFNs in the treatment of COVID-19, their efficacy and safety remain unknown. Therefore, this study aims to systematically assess IFNs efficacy and safety in treating patients with COVID-19. Methods: The protocol has been registered in the PROSPERO International Prospective Register (CRD42020200643) on 24 July 2020. This protocol has been arranged according to the PRISMA-P (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols) 2015 checklist. Discussion: Due to lack of approved medication for the covid-19 treatment and also various mutations of this virus, evaluated the efficacy and safety of medications by various studies could help for finding treatments with high effectiveness. IFNs are one of the medications that have been administered in covid-19 infection.  Moreover, the best time of administration and dose of this medication was unknown. Although meta-analysis is a potent source for assessing the accuracy of subjects, heterogeneity of articles is a potent limitation of our work.


Author(s):  
Alvaro Javier Idrovo

Words are born, compete with each other, and some die, showing the language dynamics and the influence of historical contexts1. During 2020, the meaning of the word pandemic has been discussed and a new meaning has emerged2,3. Traditionally in epidemiology, “pandemic” was used when in a relatively short time, there was a widespread geographical distribution of a disease, including some countries and continents4, which contrasts with the moment when the World Health Organization decided to decree it for the COVID-19 pandemic. In this case, the criteria indicated by the classic epidemiological definition were met several days before the pandemic was declared. Even an intermediate step was to declare Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) understood as: “an extraordinary event which ‘constitute[s] a public health risk to other States through international spread of disease and…potentially require[s] a coordinated international response”5. In this way, potential panic was controlled, and the word pandemic was left for circumstances that require the maximum attention of all States, for a joint response, given its very high potential for disease and death.


2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-8
Author(s):  
Wilber Sabiiti

  Mycobacterium tuberculosis has caused tuberculosis (TB) in humans for at least 3 millennia, but the disease has evaded eradication efforts by all human civilisations despite promising technological advancements. The World Health Organization (WHO) has set a target of ending the TB epidemic by 2035. Going by the current rate of progress, it is estimated that it will take another 160 years to realise the WHO End TB Strategy’s target. Accelerating the eradication of TB will require effective tools for diagnosis, vaccines and medicines to treat the disease, and efficient implementation thereof. This presents a great opportunity for innovators in East Africa and the world over to chip in and develop the best technologies to end TB. With funding from the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP), partnerships between the UK-based University of St Andrews and research institutions in East and Southern Africa have led to the development of the first ever test – the molecular bacterial load assay (MBLA) – that measures the number of TB bacteria in a patient and reveals if this number is declining as a patient progresses on treatment. Initial assay results are available within 4 hours. Real-time knowledge of patient mycobacterial burden and the effectiveness of prescribed medications are crucial for timely clinical decisions on patient management.


2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-8
Author(s):  
Wilber Sabiiti

  Mycobacterium tuberculosis has caused tuberculosis (TB) in humans for at least 3 millennia, but the disease has evaded eradication efforts by all human civilisations despite promising technological advancements. The World Health Organization (WHO) has set a target of ending the TB epidemic by 2035. Going by the current rate of progress, it is estimated that it will take another 160 years to realise the WHO End TB Strategy’s target. Accelerating the eradication of TB will require effective tools for diagnosis, vaccines and medicines to treat the disease, and efficient implementation thereof. This presents a great opportunity for innovators in East Africa and the world over to chip in and develop the best technologies to end TB. With funding from the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP), partnerships between the UK-based University of St Andrews and research institutions in East and Southern Africa have led to the development of the first ever test – the molecular bacterial load assay (MBLA) – that measures the number of TB bacteria in a patient and reveals if this number is declining as a patient progresses on treatment. Initial assay results are available within 4 hours. Real-time knowledge of patient mycobacterial burden and the effectiveness of prescribed medications are crucial for timely clinical decisions on patient management.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xue Xiao ◽  
Zhou Wang

Oral cancer is a frequent head and neck cancer in developing countries and some developed world. According to the World Health Organization classification 2017, oral cancer influences the anatomical subsites including buccal mucosa, the anterior two-third of the tongue, lip, palate, vestibule, alveolus, floor of the mouth, and gingivae. A variety of premalignant lesions are related with the development of oral cancer, such as leukoplakia, erythroplakia, et al. The predominant histological type of oral cancer is squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Tobacco and alcohol consumption are regarded as critical etiological factors. Due to the unspecific symptoms in early stage, the majority are diagnosed in advanced stages. Despite the development of medicine over decades, the mortality rate of oral cancer remains high, indicating the importance of optimized treatment and screening strategies.


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