Vaccine and Biological Production No.1 (VabioTech) Chairman Do Tuan Dat has told the Thanh Nien (Young People) newspaper that his firm succeeded in developing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine candidate at a lab. The COVID-19 vaccine candidate was tested on mice in April. Two months later, the test mice produced antibody responses, meeting requirements on immunization. VabioTech, the producer of the vaccine candidate, completed the first phase of the vaccine study project two months earlier than expected. With such progress, VabioTech plans to complete the research and development of the vaccine in 2021. Local researchers stated that the vaccine project is aimed at not only producing the vaccine but also increasing Vietnam’s active role in vaccine production. VabioTech is one of the current four units licensed by the Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) to carry out the COVID-19 vaccine research and the first to test its potential COVID-19 vaccine on mice. Earlier on February 20, Vingroup Innovation Foundation (VINIF) under the Vingroup Big Data Institute (VinBDI), the research arm of Vingroup JSC (HOSE: VIC), granted VND8 billion for the VabioTech to develop the vaccine in labs. (VietnamBiz)
