FRIDAY, July 31, 2020 — An experiential vaccine<\/a> to protect against COVID-19<\/a> developed by Johnson & Johnson appears effective in monkeys, the New York Times<\/i> reported Thursday.<\/p>\n This is the second vaccine<\/a> that had promising results in monkeys reported this week, but whether they work in humans is the real test.<\/p>\n A human test is now underway in Europe and the United States. More than 30 human trials have been started testing coronavirus vaccines<\/a>, but not until these trials are over in several months will we know if they work in people.<\/p>\n “This week has been good — now we have two vaccines<\/a> that work in monkeys,” Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at Columbia University who was not involved in the studies, told the Times<\/i>. “It’s nice to be upbeat for a change.”<\/p>\n These new results can’t be used to speed trials in humans. “We just can’t take shortcuts,” she said.<\/p>\n The two vaccines<\/a> work in very differently.<\/p>\n The one by Moderna delivers messenger RNA into cells which causes an immune response to the virus. RNA vaccines<\/a> have not yet been approved for use in people, the Times<\/i> noted.<\/p>\n Moderna began Phase 3 trials on Monday, as did Pfizer.<\/p>\n The Johnson & Johnson vaccine activates the immune response by altering the virus.<\/p>\n A single shot of the vaccine was able to protect five out of six monkeys and the sixth had only low levels of the virus, the Times<\/i> reports.<\/p>\n “The fact that we could protect with a single shot in animal models was quite a positive surprise to us,” Dr. Paul Stoffels, the chief scientific officer of Johnson & Johnson, told the Times<\/i>.<\/p>\n “It’s exciting to see the number of platforms that are showing promise for a vaccine,” Stacey Schultz-Cherry, a virologist at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis who was not involved in any of the trials, told the paper.<\/p>\n ![\"MedicalNews\"](\"https:\/\/images.medicinenet.com\/images\/HealthDay\/healthday.png\")
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