Moderna COVID-19 vaccine produces strong antibody response in infant model, finds study

A new study conducted by a group of scientists has found that Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine offers strong neutralising antibody responses to the virus in baby rhesus macaques without any adverse effects.

The strong strong immunity response elicited by the vaccines in 16 baby rhesus macaques persisted for 22 weeks, the results published in Science Immunology said, as per an Indian Express report.

To evaluate SARS-CoV-2 infant vaccination, the researchers immunised two groups of 8 infant rhesus macaques at 2.2 months of age and 4 weeks later.

Each animal received either a preclinical version of the Moderna mRNA vaccine or a protein-based vaccine developed by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), US, the report said.

“The level of potent antibodies we observed were comparable to what has been seen in adult macaques, even though the doses were 30 micrograms instead of the 100 microgram adult doses,” said one of the author Kristina De Paris, PhD, professor of microbiology and immunology at the University of North Carolina.

The researchers are conducting further challenge studies to better understand the potential long-lasting protection of the vaccines.

The authors said that vaccines for young children are likely important and safe tools to curtail the pandemic.

Moderna had last month said that its COVID-19 vaccine strongly protects kids as young as 12.

The company has also filed an application with US Food and Drug Administration, European and Canadian regulators for an emergency use authorization for its vaccine to be given to adolescents.

The company had earlier announced results from a trial of 3,700 12-to-17-year-olds that found the two-dose regimen was safe and highly effective.

Both Pfizer and Moderna have begun testing in even younger children, from age 11 down to 6-month-old babies.