A MERS vaccine clinical trial is underway in Saudi Arabia. Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus –also known as MERS-CoV – causes a viral respiratory disease. It is zoonotic, meaning it was transmitted from animals to humans. The first time it was described was in 2012, and now it is already endemic in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).
The source of these zoonotic infections is dromedary camels, with 54.9% of primary cases being associated with direct camel exposure. However, once a human is infected, it can be passed on by human-to-human exposure. Transmission by humans has been responsible for most of the cases seen in recent outbreaks, especially in hospitals.
Some people are lucky, and the MERS-CoV infection is asymptomatic, meaning there are no symptoms. Others are not so lucky and the disease results in severe acute respiratory distress and death. In the Middle East, MERS-CoV has spread far and wide across the region, causing 2458 laboratory-confirmed cases since September 2019, which includes 851 deaths in 27 countries.
Phase 1 clinical trials for a vaccine against MERS-CoV have begun in the KSA. It’s the first one ever to take place there. The testing is being conducted by The King Abdullah International Medical Research Centre (KAIMRC), in collaboration with the University of Oxford‘s Jenner Institute, and the results will provide valuable clinical data to help curb this growing public health concern. It’s being funded by the Department of Health and Social Care.
Prof Sarah Gilbert, UK project leader and Professor of Vaccinology at the Jenner Institute, said:
I congratulate KAIMRC on starting the first phase I clinical trial of a novel vaccine ever to take place in Saudi Arabia. It is appropriate that the trial is of a vaccine against Middle East Respiratory Syndrome. I look forward to continuing the fruitful collaboration between the Jenner Institute at Oxford University and KAIMRC.
Mohammad Bosaeed, PI on the Saudi MERS vaccine trial and ID consultant, added:
It is a great pleasure to lead the MERS vaccine phase I clinical trial, first-ever Saudi phase I trial. We have also recently received approval for a state-of-the-art clinical trial unit in our hospital (At the Saudi National Guard Health Affairs), first of its kind in the country. We are now recruiting for the study which assesses safety and immunogenicity of the ChAdOx1-MERS vaccine in healthy subjects in Saudi Arabia. I have no doubt that this great milestone would open the doors for more clinical trials both in KAIMRC and in Saudi Arabia; we are excited and grateful for collaborating with Oxford University.
The epidemic potential of MERS-CoV, and the lack of currently available effective countermeasures, has positioned the virus as a priority pathogen for research and development by many health agencies around the globe, including the World Health Organization (WHO). The Phase 1 trial in KSA is part of this critical research on the MERS-CoV initiative. The experiment replicates the design of the first study performed in Oxford to test the ChAdOx1 MERS vaccine.
During the Oxford trial, 24 healthy adults between the ages of 18 to 50 volunteered. They all received a single dose of the vaccine. The aim was to assess the safety and tolerability of ChAdOx1 MERS. The vaccine proved safe, and it was well tolerated by all the participants at all tested doses. The results showed that a single dose was able to induce an immune response against the virus.
The researchers hope that the trial in KSA will provide new data to support the Oxford findings. Executing a clinical trial in a disease endemic region is fitting and an essential step in vaccine development.
Vaccinologist Naif Alharbi, Co-PI on the Saudi MERS vaccine trial, said:
I am honored to lead the Oxford-KAIMRC collaboration that is now making historical progress as we are starting the first-ever phase I clinical trial in Saudi Arabia for this vaccine. It is essential that we conduct phase I trials for MERS vaccines in Saudi Arabia where MERS-CoV is endemic and considered a national health research priority. I am also thrilled to have worked on the vaccine from lab and mice testing in Oxford and then to have been leading its development in camels and humans in Saudi Arabia. This trial will pave the way to further development of MERS vaccines. This trial also comes in time with our recent successful completion of evaluating the same vaccine in a camel in Saudi Arabia.
Many would benefit from a vaccine against MERS-CoV. For instance, it would prevent zoonotic transmission for people who are frequently exposed to camels in the Middle East. Healthcare workers in regions where hospital outbreaks have occurred; they’ll be immunized and able to treat patients without getting infected. Anyone who is spending time out of the home or in community settings, especially in or near outbreak regions, will feel safe knowing they won’t catch a deadly virus.
