13/02/04

Go-slow approach for SARS vaccines

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<h1>Go-slow approach for SARS vaccines</h1>
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<p><P>The swift response from virologists and geneticists to last year’s epidemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) should now give way, say some experts, to a go-slow approach on testing vaccines. </P><br />
<P>This article reports that although several vaccines are now in hand, many researchers feel they have still not found a suitable animal for testing. This has not deterred the Beijing-based Sinovac Biotech, which plans trials of an inactivated form of the SARS virus in humans this month.</P><br />
<P>At a recent World Health Organisation meeting, several SARS researchers said this is too soon. They pointed out that vaccines can make the disease worse, as happened with a feline vaccine against another similar virus. While recommending animal testing, the meeting eventually concluded that China’s vulnerability to a new outbreak justifies its going ahead with human trials.  </P><br />
<P><a  href="/sci.cfm?redir=http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/303/5660/944?ijkey=Wu7YJ3GgP9HO2&keytype=ref&siteid=sci" target="_blank" onclick="pageTracker._trackPageview('/tracking/external/'+this.href);" rel="noopener noreferrer">Link to full article in <EM>Science </EM></A></P><br />
<P>Reference: <em>Science</em> 303, 944 (2004)</P></p>

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<p>This article was originally published on <a href="https://www.scidev.net" target="_blank">SciDev.Net</a>. Read the <a href="https://www.scidev.net/global/features/goslow-approach-for-sars-vaccines/" target="_blank">original article</a>.</p>
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The swift response from virologists and geneticists to last year’s epidemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) should now give way, say some experts, to a go-slow approach on testing vaccines.

This article reports that although several vaccines are now in hand, many researchers feel they have still not found a suitable animal for testing. This has not deterred the Beijing-based Sinovac Biotech, which plans trials of an inactivated form of the SARS virus in humans this month.

At a recent World Health Organisation meeting, several SARS researchers said this is too soon. They pointed out that vaccines can make the disease worse, as happened with a feline vaccine against another similar virus. While recommending animal testing, the meeting eventually concluded that China’s vulnerability to a new outbreak justifies its going ahead with human trials.

Link to full article in Science

Reference: Science 303, 944 (2004)