Visit our Covid-19 microsite for the latest coronavirus news, analysis and updates
Follow the latest updates of the outbreak on our timeline.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
Clover Biopharmaceuticals has generated a trimeric Spike-protein (S-Trimer) subunit vaccine candidate against the new 2019-nCoV coronavirus.
The company used a mammalian cell expression system to produce the vaccine candidate.
Subsequently, researchers at Clover could identify antigen-specific antibody using S-Trimer in sera of various fully recovered coronavirus-infected patients.
The company is the first to unveil a vaccine candidate that can be detected by antibodies generated by previously-infected patients. This indicates that the vaccine candidate may trigger a protective immune response.
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalDataClover carried out development activities in alliance with China-based Chengdu Hi-Tech Park and Chengdu Clinical Center for Public Health teams.
Clover Biopharmaceuticals co-founder, chairman and president Dr Peng Liang said: “The implication of this discovery is that it not only has validated the correct conformation of our S-Trimer subunit vaccine candidate but also further supports that the new 2019-nCov virus is indeed the culprit for the current epidemic since all previous diagnosis for the viral infections have been based on nucleic acid detection.
“This important finding forms a solid foundation for the continued rapid development of S-Trimer vaccine through pilot production, preclinical efficacy and safety studies, followed by human clinical trials and subsequent large-scale production.”
2019-nCoV is an RNA virus that consists of a trimeric spike (S) protein on its viral envelope. The trimeric S protein enables attachment to host cell surface receptor ACE2 and viral entry.
The company began designing viral S-protein construct last month, completing gene synthesis, following the publication of 2019-nCoV genomic DNA sequence.
Clover Trimer-Tag technology produced an S-Trimer subunit vaccine through a rapid mammalian cell-culture based expression system.
The company’s commercial-scale biomanufacturing capabilities in China should facilitate the production of high quantities of a new coronavirus vaccine.
