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MUST: Funding equal to LESS THAN ONE SINGLE DAY of Macau’s 2019 casino GGR would be enough to develop, produce 30 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine candidate

Andrew W Scott and Ben Blaschke by Andrew W Scott and Ben Blaschke
Tue 4 Aug 2020 at 17:43
MUST: Funding equal to LESS THAN ONE SINGLE DAY of Macau’s 2019 casino GGR would be enough to develop, produce 30 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine candidate

Professor Zhang Kang explains how the team’s vaccine attacks the Receptor Binding Domain (RBD) of the virus protein rather than the whole spike.

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Scientists responsible for developing what they describe as a hugely promising COVID-19 vaccine candidate say they can complete human trials and produce 30 million doses by January 2021 on less than a single day’s worth of Macau 2019 casino revenue.

The revelations came at a press conference at the Faculty of Medicine at Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST) on Tuesday. The press conference was led by Professor Zhang Kang in Macau, and Professor Manson Fok, Dean of the Faculty, who appeared from Hong Kong by video.

The vaccine, announced last week by a team comprising researchers from MUST, in collaboration with Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), is seen as a leading candidate for mass production after what the researchers describe as exceptional results during early clinical trials. In particular, it induced a “potent functional antibody response” in immunized mice, rabbits and monkeys with those antibodies subsequently neutralizing the virus during laboratory studies by effectively blocking it from binding with cells in the host.

According to key scientists involved, the candidate vaccine is now ready to enter Phase II and Phase III trials which, if all goes well, could see the first 30 million doses manufactured and ready for distribution by late January.

However, at the press conference, it was revealed the project was at risk of stalling over a shortfall in funding. Speaking of the world’s largest casino hub, Professor Fok estimated HK$600 million (US$77 million), equivalent to 77% of one day of Macau casino revenue based on 2019 GGR, or just two days’ worth of gaming taxes collected by the Macau SAR Government, would be needed to develop and produce 30 million doses of the vaccine.

Journalists at Tuesday’s press conference.

The team revealed it had been knocked back in February after applying to the Macau government for funding of just MOP$500,000 (US$62,500), with Professor Fok indicating the government had not been convinced at the time that development of a vaccine was a realistic goal.

According to the MUST team, the cost of the collaborative research, which has involved more than 100 scientists from Macau, Hong Kong and mainland China, is already in the “tens of millions of US dollars” – all of it sourced from the internal resources of eight institutions involved.

But the team is also adamant their vaccine ranks among the most effective, perhaps even the most effective, of the more than 150 vaccine candidates currently being studied globally.

“From a conceptual standpoint, we think this will be a highly effective vaccine with a very low level of side effects,” said Professor Zhang, one of the team’s leaders.

According to Zhang, the team’s vaccine stands out from most others because it only attacks the Receptor Binding Domain (RBD) of the protein rather than the whole protein spike, therefore creating more effective antibodies.

The vaccine is also a standout because it utilizes recombinant DNA, such as that already used in the HPV vaccine widely used to combat various forms of cancer and genital warts. The technology is already readily available and used in manufacturing facilities around the world.

L to R: Dean Fok appearing by video alongside Professor Zhang Kang.

Zhang said the team initiated development of its vaccine shortly after Chinese New Year, with Phase I testing showing no side effects. They are also encouraged by the fact that the vaccine requires administration of an extremely small dose – around 20 micrograms or 1/10th the size of a sesame seed.

Notably, Zhang says the vaccine should even be able to treat those already sick with COVID-19.

The team is now waiting to progress to the next step, Zhang said, where it plans to run Phase II and Phase III trials in humans concurrently to expedite the process.

“We are very confident from our results in the animal studies of its worth,” he said.

Fok added, “Normally human trials to deployment is one-and-a-half to two years,” but pointed to the fact that COVID-19 is not a normal situation. “So far the vaccine has shown strong antibody response, no complications, a significant half-life and it will be very cost effective.”

Macau University of Science and Technology.

Fok did, however, note the vaccine could not be produced locally due to the absence of a vaccine facility in Macau, and a lack of testing capacity in mainland China due to a number of other candidate vaccines being tested. Instead, the MUST team has agreed to conduct a pilot manufacturing program with a partner in Taiwan, which they say has the capability to produce at least 30 million doses in a matter of weeks.

As previously reported by IAG, 8 million of those would be reserved for the people of Macau and Hong Kong. The team, Fok claimed, wants to “produce a vaccine for all of humanity.

“This is a global problem and needs a global solution,” he said.

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Andrew W Scott and Ben Blaschke

Andrew W Scott and Ben Blaschke

A former sports journalist in Sydney, Australia, Ben has been Managing Editor of Inside Asian Gaming since early 2016. He played a leading role in developing and launching IAG Breakfast Briefing in April 2017 and oversees as well as being a key contributor to all of IAG’s editorial pursuits.

Born in Australia, Andrew is a gaming industry expert and media publisher, commentator and journalist who moved to Hong Kong in 2005 and then Macau in 2009, when he founded O MEDIA, one of Macau’s largest media companies and parent company of Inside Asian Gaming.

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