Oxford and AstraZeneca To Test Sputnik V Vaccine’s Components

The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) and the N.F. Gamaleya Research Center announced AstraZeneca has accepted the RDIF proposal and will begin clinical trials of its vaccine in combination with the Sputnik V adenoviral vector of the 26th serotype, by the end of 2020. 

The RDIF stated in a press release issued on December 11, 2020, the scheme using two different adenoviral vectors for primary and secondary immunization, which is a unique and fundamental development of specialists from the N.N. N.F. Gamalea, allows you to avoid the immunity to the first vector, which forms after the first immunization, and thereby increases the effectiveness of the second injection and form long-term immunity. 

Among the leading vaccines against coronavirus at the moment, only the Sputnik V vaccine has the technology of two different vectors.

A study published by The Lancet in September 2020, concluded ‘The heterologous rAd26 and rAd5 vector-based COVID-19 vaccine has a good safety profile and induced strong humoral and cellular immune responses in participants.’

The University of Oxford - AstraZeneca developed vaccine and the Sputnik V vaccine, which was developed by the Gamaleya Research Institute, are similar because they both contain genetic material from the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein.

However, these vaccines are different than the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, know as BNT162b2.  

Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the RDIF, commented, “A unique example of cooperation between scientists from different countries in the joint fight against a pandemic will play a decisive role in the victory over coronavirus infection around the world.”

“AstraZeneca's decision to conduct a study using one of the two vectors of the Sputnik V vaccine is an important step towards joining forces in the fight against the pandemic.” 

“We welcome the beginning of a new phase of cooperation between vaccine manufacturers, intend to develop this partnership in the future, and look forward to starting co-production after the new vaccine has been demonstrated to be effective in clinical trials,” concluded Dmitriev.

PrecisionVaccinations publishes research-based vaccine development news.