To develop a Coronavirus vaccine, synthetic biologists try to outdo nature

STAT NEWS ^ | 03/09/2020 | Sharon Begley

[SeekAndFind]

Even as companies rush to develop and test vaccines against the new coronavirus, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the National Institutes of Health are betting that scientists can do even better than what’s now in the pipeline.

If, as seems quite possible, the Covid-19 virus becomes a permanent part of the world’s microbial menagerie rather than being eradicated like the earlier SARS coronavirus, next-gen approaches will be needed to address shortcomings of even the most cutting-edge vaccines: They take years to develop and manufacture, they become obsolete if the virus evolves, and the immune response they produce is often weak.

With Gates and NIH funding, the emerging field of synthetic biology is answering the SOS over Covid-19, aiming to engineer vaccines that overcome these obstacles. “It’s all of us against the bug,” said Neil King of the University of Washington, who has been part of the hunt for a coronavirus vaccine since 2017.

Although the Gates Foundation is spreading its bets among several cutting-edge vaccine platforms, including those using genetic material, one based on synthetic biology has real promise. “We may need an approach that can get you millions and even billions of doses,” said immunologist and physician Lynda Stuart, who directs the foundation’s vaccine research. Gates announced last month that it will funnel $60 million to Covid-19 research, including vaccines.

A vaccine created through the tinkering of synbio looks not only scalable to a level of billions but also like it will work without the need for refrigeration. All that, Stuart said, “will be super important to protect people from coronavirus who are otherwise left behind, such as those in sub-Saharan Africa.”

[SeekAndFind]

King and his synbio colleagues knew there would be another coronavirus epidemic, like the SARS and MERS outbreaks before this one, he said, “and there will be another one after this,” perhaps from yet another member of this virus family. “We need a universal coronavirus vaccine.”

[real saxophonist]

If we can make synthetic biologists, we sure should be able to make a Coronavirus vaccine!

[Revel]

I believe that this virus itself is the result of “Tinkering”.

[rfp1234]

We could also make synthetic soldiers to fight our wars.