The study will be a randomized, partially-blinded, prime-boost, staggered dose-escalation Phase 1 study intended to assess the safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity of the Coronavirus-Like Particle COVID-19 Vaccine at three dose levels (3.75 µg, 7.5 µg, and 15 µg VLP) unadjuvanted or adjuvanted with either CpG 1018 or AS03 in healthy adults 18 to 55 years of age, who have been tested for the absence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies.

At each dose level, the vaccine will initially be administered to a small number of subjects. Vaccinations of the first 6 subjects at the lowest dose level will be staggered so that each vaccination must be performed at least 30 minutes apart. Vaccination of the remaining subjects at the same dose level and the next higher vaccine dose level will be administered with the approval of the Independent Data Monitoring Committee (IDMC).

The same process will be followed for the second vaccine administration. All subjects will be followed for a period of 12 months after the second administration of the vaccine for safety and immunogenicity testing at the end of the follow-up period.

Interim Results

After 2-doses, the adjuvanted vaccine candidate induced robust neutralizing antibody and cellular immune responses, which is encouraging and supports further clinical evaluation,” said Nathalie Landry, Executive Vice President, Scientific, and Medical Affairs at Medicago. “We also observed that the antibody levels were higher after vaccination than those observed in convalescent sera from people who recovered from the disease.”