As we quickly approach 130K signatures (wow!), here are two positive #SharkFreeVaccines updates, for sharks AND humans! Earlier this week, the FDA approved Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine candidate for use. This vaccines does NOT use shark-derived squalene, or any squalene! Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine comes out of decades of research on "adenovirus-based" vaccines, the same technology used to fight Ebola. To read more about the ingredients of this vaccine and how it works, please click this New York Times article.
Adding to the positive developments, Amyris, Inc. announced last week the highly promising preliminary data in a pre-clinical study of its ribonucleic acid (RNA) COVID-19 vaccine platform. Why is this good news for sharks, you may ask? Because Amyris uses their synthetic biology platform to manufacture sustainable sugarcane squalene which can replace the use of traditional shark-derived squalene in vaccines. This is a great representation of science-based technology creating sustainable products for a healthier planet. The kind of products that can change industries that currently rely on shark-based products.
In collaboration with the Infectious Disease Research Institute, Amyris has been advancing a novel RNA platform for a COVID-19 vaccine. Preliminary data from a pre-clinical study showed a significant level of antibody production against the COVID-19 spike protein. The results were consistent with similar data published by Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech on their respective messenger RNA technologies. The Amyris/IDRI platform will now advance to phase 1 clinical trials.
A significant benefit of this platform is the ability to store the vaccine for a protracted period at refrigerator temperatures and for several months at room temperature. This has the potential to significantly improve distribution of pandemic response vaccines, particularly in low-resource settings. And these advantages matter beyond the first doses of COVID-19 because improvements in manufacturing, storage, and distribution will make it possible for more people to get the vaccines faster. This could change the process for the ongoing battle against new variants of the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) virus, the response time to other potential pandemics, and the development of future vaccines. For more information, visit Amyris here.
While we are encouraged by this trend of vaccines that do not use shark-based adjuvants, we must remember that this is only the beginning of vaccine development. The Sanofi/GSK vaccine, which uses a shark squalene-based adjuvant, has been revived and will go through clinical trials. And there are many more vaccines in development around the world that we have not been able to investigate. Vaccines for global pandemics are here to stay and as more and more companies join the fight it will be more important than ever to get shark products out of pharmaceutical products.