Development of DNA-based SARS-CoV-2 vaccine platforms

This proposal seeks to identify the most promising lead candidate for a COVID-19 vaccine that could be rapidly and inexpensively scaled-up to meet Canada’s COVID-19 vaccine needs. In collaboration with a Canadian biotech company, Entos Pharmaceuticals, we will determine the safety and efficacy of several vaccine candidates to identify the most promising candidate to move forward to clinical trials. If successful, we will have directly contributed to a “designed, developed and made in Canada” COVID-19 vaccine, a key requirement to ensure Nova Scotians and all Canadians will have ready access to a COVID-9 vaccine. Our research strategy also holds the promise of developing a pan-coronavirus vaccine to deal with future outbreaks of other novel coronaviruses.

Faculty Supervisor:

Roy Duncan;Craig McCormick;Alyson Kelvin

Student:

Adam Nelson;Melissa Rioux;Eric Pringle

Partner:

Entos Pharmaceuticals

Discipline:

Biology

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

Dalhousie University