China's first clinical gene vaccine that fights SARS is expected
to be launched after further clinical testing. The news came at the
opening of a genetic vaccine research center last week in
Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province.
The center, a cooperative project between Guangzhou-based Sun
Yat-sen University and the US University of Pennsylvania, is the
first of its kind in Guangdong.
"We'll conduct research into vaccines against tropical epidemic
diseases that greatly threaten human health," said Li Gang, vice
president of the No.3 Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen
University.
According to Li, the center is currently working on research
into vaccines against SARS, AIDS, dengue fever, avian flu and other
epidemic diseases.
In terms of a genetic vaccine against SARS, Li said research had
already been conducted at the University of Pennsylvania, and
further clinical trials of the vaccine would be conducted after its
approval by the State Food and Drug Administration.
"After clinical testing, China will see its first genetic
vaccine against SARS," Li said in an interview with China
Daily yesterday.
The SARS vaccine has been tested on animals and proved a
success, according to Gao Guangping, vice director of the research
center. "The genetic vaccine is totally different from other
vaccines; it's been developed from the gene of a disease source
such as animals," Gao explained.
He said civet cats had not developed SARS after having the
vaccine. "The genetic vaccine is able to deal with any variation of
the SARS virus," Gao added. He also revealed that China would soon
begin testing on people a genetic vaccine against AIDS.
According to Gao, cooperation on vaccine research at the center
has been approved by the US Department of Defense, the State
Department and the Department of Commerce as well as China's
Ministry of Education.
Sun Yat-sen University signed an agreement with the University
of Pennsylvania on the vaccine research last September. According
to the agreement both universities will share the intellectual
property rights of genetic vaccines.
Gao said investment in cooperation projects totaled 20 million
yuan (US$2.5 million), which had come from the Guangzhou municipal
government, Sun Yat-sen University and the No.3 Affiliated Hospital
of Sun Yat-sen University.
(China Daily August 15, 2006)