Leiden collaboration supports development of vaccine against coronavirus
The Department of Medical Microbiology of Leiden University Medical Centre (LUMC) will investigate the efficacy of a new experimental vaccine from the pharmaceutical company Jansen against the coronavirus. The research is being conducted in collaboration with the The Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson.
Immune response against SARS-CoV-2
The immune responses induced by Janssen’s candidate vaccines will be tested at LUMC. The research group of Dr. Marjolein Kikkert and Prof. Eric Snijder will develop and apply tests that show whether the vaccine-induced antibodies can prevent SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, from entering into cells.
"We are excited to be involved in the development of a vaccine against COVID-19. Besides, it gives an important boost to the collaboration with the Leiden Bioscience park", says Kikkert.
Additional research activities to support controlling coronavirus
Independent of the work with Janssen, LUMC is currently conducting various research projects that explore methods to combat coronaviruses. In March, it was announced that Snijder's research group has an important role in the SCORE (Swift Coronavirus Therapeutics Response) project. Together with seven European partners, the LUMC researchers are investigating how they can develop antiviral therapies to combat coronaviruses.
In addition, some candidate vaccines from the PREVENT nCoV-19 project are being studied at LUMC, under supervision of Kikkert. Within this collaborative project, the vaccines are tested in the lab and clinic for effectiveness and safety. The projects of Snijder and Kikkert both receive research funding from the Horizon 2020 programme of the European Union.