Human trials for the first fully made-in-Canada COVID-19 vaccine began on Tuesday, according to a press release from Providence Therapeutics, the company that developed the vaccine.
The first phase of the trial includes 60 volunteers between the ages of 18 and 65 that will be divided into three groups of 20. Within those groups, three different dose levels of the vaccine will be given together with a placebo in each group.
The vaccine, which is called the PTX-COVID19-B, is a mRNA vaccine and, according to the press release, the study will test the vaccine’s ability at provoking an immune response, as well as its safety in human use.
“We are thrilled to begin human clinical trials of PTX-COVID19-B,” Brad Sorenson, the chief executive officer of Providence Therapeutics, said in a statement.
“Having a made-in-Canada solution to address the global COVID-19 pandemic will augment the reliability of vaccine supply for Canadians, contribute to the global vaccine supply and position a Canadian company on the global stage as a contributor to the solution.”
The subjects who take part in the trial will be monitored for 13 months from the beginning of the trial.
Providence Therapeutics received contributions from several scientists to reach this phase of vaccine development, including financial support from the Canadian government through its National Research Council Industrial Research Assistance Program.
If the results of the human trials are positive, Providence Therapeutics expects to have the vaccine ready at the end of 2021, or early 2022.
According to CBC News, Providence Therapeutics purchased a facility in Calgary to mass produce the vaccine.
With files from CBC News
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