Chinese CDC Initiates Animal Testing for Novel Coronavirus mRNA Vaccine

Key Insights

• Chinese researchers have begun animal testing of an mRNA vaccine targeting the novel coronavirus, with over 100 mice receiving injections in the initial screening phase.
• The vaccine was co-developed by the Chinese CDC, Tongji University School of Medicine, and Stermirna Therapeutics Co Ltd, just two weeks after successfully isolating the first coronavirus strain.
• Officials emphasize that animal testing represents a very early stage of vaccine development, with toxicity testing in larger animals and human clinical trials still required before potential use.

A candidate mRNA vaccine targeting the novel coronavirus has entered animal testing, marking a significant milestone in the race to develop protective measures against the outbreak that has infected over 40,000 people in China.

The vaccine was co-developed by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Shanghai-based Tongji University School of Medicine, and Stermirna Therapeutics Co Ltd. According to reports from news portal yicai.com citing CDC sources, vaccine samples were injected into more than 100 mice on Sunday.

Rapid Development Timeline

The animal testing milestone comes just two weeks after the CDC successfully isolated the first novel coronavirus strain on January 24, demonstrating the accelerated pace of vaccine development efforts. This rapid progression from viral isolation to animal testing represents a compressed timeline compared to traditional vaccine development processes.

Early Stage Development Challenges

CDC officials cautioned that the current animal testing represents a very early stage of vaccine development, with numerous additional steps required before human use becomes possible. "Testing on mice is only an initial screening of a candidate vaccine," explained a researcher from Tongji University cited in the report.

The development pathway ahead includes toxicity testing on larger animals such as monkeys to ensure vaccine safety before proceeding to human clinical trials. This staged approach follows established protocols for vaccine safety evaluation.

mRNA Vaccine Advantages

The research team selected an mRNA vaccine platform, which offers distinct advantages over traditional vaccine approaches. According to the sources, the development and production cycle of mRNA vaccines is shorter than that of conventional vaccines, potentially accelerating the timeline to clinical availability.

Global Research Landscape

The Chinese initiative represents part of a broader international effort, with numerous research institutes and companies worldwide stepping up vaccine and therapeutic development efforts against the novel coronavirus. As of Sunday, the outbreak had caused 40,171 confirmed cases in China, underscoring the urgent need for effective countermeasures.

The progression to animal testing marks a critical early milestone in what researchers acknowledge will be a lengthy development process requiring multiple phases of safety and efficacy evaluation before any potential human application.