--- title: "Chinese COVID-19 Vaccine Effective in Monkeys" description: "Researchers at a private Beijing-based company Sinovac Biotech have developed an experimental COVID-19 vaccine that protected macaques from infection, Science Magazine reports. There were reportedly no side effects. The vaccine was based on a tried-and-true formulation that included an inactivated version of the virus SARS-CoV-2 (“purified inactivated virus vaccine candidate” or PiCoVacc), as detailed in […]" date: "2020-04-24" modified: "2020-04-24" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/chinese-covid-19-vaccine-effective-monkeys" categories: - "Developments" - "Health & Medicine" tags: - "china" - "coronavirus" - "covid19" - "vaccines" --- # Chinese COVID-19 Vaccine Effective in Monkeys ![Researchers at private Beijing-based company Sinovac Biotech have developed an experimental COVID-19 vaccine that protected macaques from infection.]() *\Image: Image via Needpix/Victor Tangermann\* Researchers at Beijing pharmaceutical company Sinovac Biotech have developed an experimental COVID-19 vaccine that it says protected macaques from infection, [*Science Magazine* reports](). The vaccine was based on a tried-and-true formulation that included an inactivated version of the virus SARS-CoV-2, as detailed in a [preprint]() uploaded to the server *bioRxiv* on April 19. "These data support the rapid clinical development of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines for humans," reads the paper. The team at Sinovac injected eight macaque monkeys with two different doses. Three weeks after injection, they introduced the coronavirus straight into the money's lungs. There were reportedly no side effects. None of the monkeys developed an infection beyond a small "viral blip." A less fortunate control group of monkeys developed severe pneumonia after being infected by the virus. "This is old school but it might work," Florian Krammer, a virologist at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, who co-authored a [status report]() on COVID vaccine candidates, told *Science Mag*. "What I like most is that many vaccine producers, also in lower–middle-income countries, could make such a vaccine." Critics say, though, that the sample size in Sinovac's trial was too small to produce generalizable results. Questions also remain about the viability of the vaccine candidate for use in humans — especially considering that monkeys don't experience the same severe symptoms of COVID as humans. In a separate Sinovac experiment, the researchers mixed a cocktail of antibodies from patients in China, Italy, Switzerland, Spain, and the United Kingdom with the virus. According to the team, the antibodies "potently neutralized 10 representative SARS-CoV-2 strains, indicative of a possible broader neutralizing ability." And that'd be good news. "This provides strong evidence that the virus is not mutating in a way that would make it resistant to a #COVID19 vaccine," [tweeted ]()of Oregon Health & Science University immunologist Mark Slifka on Wednesday. Sinovac Biotech is now planning trials on thousands of human subjects. ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()