The US start-up Codagenix is thinking of injecting a live virus into the body. However, this is a "deoptimized" or "slowed down" version, which may be more effective than a conventional vaccine in inducing an immune response. On the other hand, if this approach seems to have several advantages, the risks are not negligible.
Currently, no less than 200 vaccines are being developed, and not all of them have taken a similar approach. However, these approaches each have several drawbacks . It can be an insufficient immune response, side effects or even a limited possibility of manufacture. According to a publication by MIT Techynology on September 16, 2020, the start-up Codagenix is working on an approach that differentiates itself from others. The idea seems simpler and faster , i.e. injecting the authentic Sars-CoV-2 coronavirus but in a weakened version. In essence, the virus is "slowed down" in order to replicate in a less efficient way.
“Every virus, whether it's the flu, Zika or the common cold, uses the host cell's machinery (ribosome) to translate its genome and synthesize its proteins. Our computer algorithm recodes and "deoptimizes" the codons of viral genes, putting the genes into a language that is read more slowly by the host cell's ribosome," explains Codagenix.
Thus, these deoptimized genes encode exactly the same protein sequences as the normal virus, but less efficiently. In its normal version, Sars-CoV-2 can replicate itself about 100 million times inside a cell in just 24 hours. However, its slow-motion version generates half as many copies in the laboratory. In the body, it could copy even less quickly, by a factor of 1,000 . In other words, this would give the immune system more time to react. Less pathogenic, this virus could also induce a much more powerful immune response than conventional vaccines. According to the researchers, this is due to the presence of all the antigens of the normal version of the virus.
In the case of a vaccine using a live strain, the organism meets the whole virus and not just peak proteins. Thus, the body produces not only antibodies but also T cells as well as forms of immunity in the nasal passages. Another advantage arises if the virus mutates. There would then be no need to develop a new vaccine as long as we use its most basic version.
Codagenix's "live vaccine" is actually similar to the oldest form of vaccines , that is to say that of the weakened virus. Science has been developing this kind of vaccine for decades in order to defeat various diseases such as polio, chickenpox or yellow fever. On the other hand, these are usually cultured in the eggs of animals such as chickens in order to obtain adaptation to their host and reduced virulence for humans.
Even though this type of virus has many advantages, few end up on the market. Codagenix CEO Robert Coleman admits it himself:it is incumbent to readjust the code constantly because no one knows how mutations in the virus can behave. This is why this start-up uses artificial intelligence. By developing the best code possible, it is possible to reduce the danger to humans, although this method is risky.
