Cuba prepares new vaccine candidates to face possible mutations of COVID

HAVANA, Cuba, Jan 14 (ACN) The Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB) is developing new vaccine candidates more resistant to possible SARS-CoV-2 mutations, which cause COVID-19, announced in this capital the Doctor in Biological Sciences Gerardo Guillén Nieto, Director of Biomedical Research at that institution.

Despite the effectiveness demonstrated by Mambisa and Abdala, currently in Phase I trials, Cuban scientists are preparing to act against variants of the disease with greater capacity to infect and aggravate the damage to health, he explained exclusively to the Cuban Agency News.

He indicated that there is no evidence that the current mutations affect the protective response of the country's vaccine candidates, but there is a need for continued surveillance and effective vaccination strategies.

The eminent scientist, who led a dengue vaccine project in 1997, specified that research incorporates in its vaccine candidates new proteins to diversify the protective response.

Guillén Nieto stated that the preliminary results of Abdala and Mambisa, which explore intramuscular and nasal administration routes, demonstrate their suitability without presenting serious adverse effects.

Both products completed their first immunization on December 7, when in the

Abdala's case 132 healthy volunteers received the first dose and 88 with Mambisa, he added.

He mentioned as an advantage that they are very safe, since they are obtained from recombinant proteins by genetic engineering and not using the live virus; this will allow for more doses to be applied in the case to decrease immunity and use them to boost other vaccines as well.

The CIGB with the Joint Research and Development Center based in Hunan Province, China, are undertaking an initial phase of a vaccine project against other variants of coronavirus, said the expert who is linked to drugs for Hepatitis B and the human papilloma (HPV).