NYBC receives NIH grant to develop MERS vaccine
The New York Blood Center’s Laboratory of Immunology received an NIH grant to continue developing a vaccine candidate for Middle East respiratory syndrome, or MERS, coronavirus, according to a press release.
Researchers at the non-profit, community-based blood center have already identified the receptor-binding domain of MERS and its major neutralizing epitope — discoveries that may help in the development of the vaccine. Lanying Du, PhD, co-head of the laboratory, was awarded more than $400,000 by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to continue this work.
As of Jan. 9, there have been a total of 178 laboratory-confirmed cases of human infection with MERS, including 75 deaths, according to WHO. The virus’s high mortality rate (42%) and human-to-human transmissibility make it “a threat to the entire world,” according to Margaret Chan, MD, director-general of WHO.
In 2013, researchers from Qatar and the Netherlands identified MERS in a herd of camels linked to two cases of human infection with the virus. However, it is unclear whether humans are infected by livestock or vise versa. In the absence of prophylactic treatments like a MERS vaccine, some researchers have suggested that preventive measures to reduce transmission between animals and humans represent the best course for reducing further illness.