Japan Univ., Firm Join Hands with MediciNova for COVID-19 Vaccine

Society Lifestyle

Tsu, Mie Pref., July 28 (Jiji Press)--Japan's Mie University and pharmaceutical company BioComo said Tuesday they have agreed with MediciNova Inc. of the United States to jointly develop a vaccine for the novel coronavirus.

The university in the central prefecture of Mie and BioComo, based in the Mie town of Komono, have developed a gene that has the property of connecting with antibodies and a harmless virus strain that delivers proteins produced by the gene.

Using the virus strain, the university and BioComo created a COVID-19 vaccine candidate in April.

The vaccine to be developed with MediciNova will be sprayed into the nose to make mucous membranes build immunity to the coronavirus.

The vaccine is expected to prevent the virus from growing in the upper airway and lower the risk of transmitting the virus to other people. It can also be administered multiple times.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]

Jiji Press