Bharat Biotech, University of Wisconsin, FluGen tie up for COVID-19 vaccine

Hyderabad, Apr 3 (): Researchers at the University ofWisconsinMadison and vaccine companies FluGen and BharatBiotech are developing and testing a vaccine against COVID-19called CoroFlu.

CoroFluwill build on the backbone of FluGen's fluvaccine candidate known as M2SR, Bharat Biotech said in arelease.

Based on an invention by UWMadison virologists andFluGen co-founders Yoshihiro Kawaoka and Gabriele Neumann,M2SR is a self-limiting version of the influenza virus thatinduces an immune response against the flu.

Kawaokas lab will insert gene sequences from SARS-CoV-2,the novel coronavirus that causes the disease COVID-19, intoM2SR so that the new vaccine will also induce immunity againstthe coronavirus, it said.

Raches Ella, Head of Business Development, BharatBiotech,said the city-based firmwill manufacture thevaccine, conduct clinical trials and prepare to produce almost300 million doses of vaccine for global distribution.

Under the collaboration agreement, FluGen will transferits existing manufacturing processes to Bharat Biotech toenable the company to scale up production and produce thevaccine for clinical trials, Rachesadded.

Bharat Biotech has commercialized 16 vaccines, includingone developed against the H1N1 flu that caused the 2009pandemic.

Refinement of the CoroFlu vaccine concept and testing inlaboratory animal models at UWMadison is expected to takethree to six months.

Bharat Biotech will then begin production scale-up forsafety and efficacy testing in humans.

CoroFlu could be in human clinical trials during 2020winter, the release said. GDK APRRAVINDRANATH APRRAVINDRANATH