CoVAX-PreC – Preclinical evaluation of a potent COVID-19 vaccine candidate toward an accelerated clinical development (CoVax-PreC)

Within the group of Prof. Johan Neyts, the vaccine team (under the scientific lead of Dr. Kai Dallmeier) developed a promising COVID-19 vaccine candidate. This live-attenuated vaccine shows great promise in animal models. By this CoVax-PreC project we want to study the longevity of the triggered immunity as well as the potential of the vaccine to prevent SARS-CoV-2 transmission within a population (by means of a hamster transmission model). Further, we want to explore whether a different route of administration (i.e. intranasal) could improve protection against pneumonia and whether the potency can be further enhanced by prior stimulation of the innate immunity.