Here & Now

UW Researchers Work Toward COVID-19 Vaccine

Trevor Keller:

UW-Madison’s Influenza Research Institute is working with Madison startup FluGen to create CoroFlu, a potential COVID-19 vaccine. The work is led by renowned professor Yoshihiro Kawaoka. Peter Halfmann isn’t working directly on the vaccine but is a lead researcher in Kawaoka’s lab. He says the urgency of the pandemic creates an extra challenge.

Peter Halfmann:

Just the fact that you know, this does take us a good 5, 6, 10 years to do for just in the normal situation, just because there’s a lot of trial and error.

Trevor Keller:

Scientists are taking material from the coronavirus spike protein and using it to modify FluGen’s existing flu vaccine.

Peter Halfmann:

So we’re using like the backbone of the flu vaccine. So the internal kind of hardware. And then we’re just modifying the surface of the vaccine now. Instead of having the proteins for influenza, we’re having now the proteins for coronavirus on the surface.

Trevor Keller:

The result would be a dual-purpose vaccine for the flu and COVID-19. If all goes well, CoroFlu will start human trials in the first half of 2021. It’s a three-phase process, where the vaccine is given to progressively larger groups of people. If it’s proven safe and effective, it can be mass-produced.

Peter Halfmann:

We’re going to probably want two or three good vaccines out there because no company alone is going to be able to meet domestic and international demand for this vaccine. It’s just, it’s too big of a task for just one company.

Trevor Keller:

A biotech company in India has already agreed to mass-produce CoroFlu. Halfmann warns that while scientists around the world are making progress against the virus, the finish line is far away.

Peter Halfmann:

I think there’s going to be great advances by the end of this year come December, but I don’t think there’s going to be something where you can go to Walgreens and get a vaccine by December of 2020. No.

Trevor Keller:

Reporting from Madison for “Here & Now,” I’m Trevor Keller.