A COVID-19 vaccine candidate developed by the University of Oxford in the UK elicits an immune response and reduces the viral load in monkeys exposed to SARS-CoV-2 virus, according to a study published in the journal Nature on Thursday.
The researchers from National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in the US and the Oxford University found that the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine protects the macaques from COVID-19 pneumonia — a complication of SARS-CoV-2 infection in which the lungs become inflamed and may fill with fluid.
Preliminary results from this research were used to facilitate the start of clinical trials of the vaccine in humans, the researchers noted.
ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 is made from a weakened chimpanzee adenovirus -- a group of viruses that can cause a range of illnesses, including the common cold -- that expresses the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, a structure that enables the coronavirus to enter human cells.
