A new stage of vaccine development kicked off at Kazan Federal University.

This is one of the two currently ongoing projects related to the coronavirus, the other being an antibody test system.

“They are intertwined. To properly evaluate the effect of the vaccine, we have to find out whether the tested animals form antibodies to the coronavirus. Therefore, such a test system would be necessary to create a vaccine. Furthermore, the test system is also necessary for healthcare. Right now, we are already using at the University Clinic to research our employees’ and population immunity. The vaccine which currently undergoes animal trials is based on DNA technology,” shares Albert Rizvanov, Director of the Center for Precision and Regenerative Medicine.

As for test strips, the plan is to produce about 10 thousand a month.

“We have corporate clients who are ready to commission tests, including one big industrial company planning to test its employees for immunity. We also are working on a retail packaging format for the tests in order to distribute them through pharmacies,” adds Rizvanov.

After launching this production, the University can be more ready to create similar tests for infections that are yet to come.

Source text: Rufina Gimaletdinova

Photo: Alexander Kuznetsov

Translation: Yury Nurmeev