Brazilian Covid vaccine closer to reality

Brazil is edging closer to rolling out a homegrown Covid vaccine. Researchers at the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) and the state-run Fundação Ezequiel Dias (Funed) have published the first scientific paper on the safety trials of SpiN-Tec, their vaccine candidate, clearing the way for a final phase of clinical studies.

The effort has received BRL 140 million (USD 26 million) from the Science and Technology Ministry. If successful, the immunizer could reach the public health system by early 2027, according to the research team.

Unlike the mRNA shots that dominated early vaccination campaigns, SpiN-Tec bets on cellular immunity. The vaccine is designed to prime T cells so that they prevent infection where possible and selectively destroy infected cells when exposure occurs. In animal studies and preliminary human data, this approach appeared more resilient to new variants.