Thai Prototype Vaccine Passes Test With Flying Colours

Source: The Nation

Thailand has made progress in developing a vaccine for Covid-19 after laboratory trials of a prototype proved successful, medical authorities announced on Tuesday (May 6).

Dr Opas Karnkawinpong, director-general of the Department of Medical Sciences under the Health Ministry, told a press conference that joint research being conducted by Chulalongkorn, Siriraj and Ramathibodi hospitals along with private and state agencies had made a breakthrough.

Opas reported that a research team led by Prof Dr Kiat Ruxrungtham, vice-president for Research and Innovation at Chulalongkorn University, injected laboratory mice with a prototype DNA vaccine and then tested their blood to check whether the mice had developed antibodies.

Test results from the Department of Medical Sciences found that the mice developed a satisfactory level of antibodies. The next step will be to test the prototype vaccine on humans to check whether the immune response is on a similar level to mice.

“This is a small but nevertheless successful step,” said Dr Opas.

“Even though vaccine development in Thailand has not advanced as fast as in countries such as China, hopefully Thai scientists will develop a Covid-19 vaccine that will stand the test of time.”