After a year since the start of the RBDCOV project, the Consortium has elaborated a video that summarizes the main purpose of the project, the partners involved, the different clinical trials to test the vaccine and the main benefits.
In January 2022 started the RBDCOV project, led by the biotech pharmaceutical company HIPRA and funded by the Horizon Europe program. To carry out this project, an international consortium composed by 13 companies and institutions of 5 European countries: Spain (IrsiCaixa, Vall D’Hebron Hospital, FLS, IDIBAPS, IDIBGI, Asphalion, Vinces Consulting, Zabala Innovation), United Kingdom (Veristat), Italy (Penta foundation), Germany (EATG), and Turkey (Metpharm). The aim of this project is to test the efficacy, tolerability, and safety of the HIPRA’s recombinant COVID-19 vaccine in children (including adolescents) and people with immunocompromised conditions.
The COVID-19 vaccine being developed by HIPRA is a bivalent adjuvanted vaccine containing a recombinant protein based on the Beta and Alpha variants of SARS-CoV-2 and is indicated as a booster dose for people over 16 years of age. It is the first bivalent recombinant protein vaccine against the virus to be authorised in the European Union.
The project envisages that the vaccine will be made accessible for vaccination campaigns worldwide thanks to its 2-8ºC storage temperature, which facilitates a longer-lasting shelf-life, transport, and distribution.
Next steps of the RBDCOV Project
The project foresees several clinical trials, one in a group of immunocompromised individuals and other studies in groups of children and adolescents from different age ranges.
The first trial has already started. The HIPRA’s COVID-19 vaccine trial in people with immunocompromising conditions was launched in May 2022 in Spain, and in January 2023 in Turkey after the approval by the Turkish Medicines and Medical Devices Agency on October 28, 2022. The clinical trial will involve around 400 adults affected by different pathologies or immunosuppressive conditions from three hospitals in Spain (Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Hospital Josep Trueta and Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol) and three hospitals in Turkey: two in Ankara (Ankara University Medical Faculty Hospitals and Hacettepe University Medical Faculty Hospitals) and one in Istanbul (Koç University Hospital).
At present, the Consortium is working on the launch of clinical studies focused on groups of children and adolescents.
Bring science closer to citizens
Since the start of the RBDCOV project, the Consortium has been creating graphic, visual and multimedia material, published on the website, to bring a technical topic such as the development of a vaccine, in a way that is accessible for the general public and more specialised audience.
For this purpose, if you are not familiar with the topic, you can find an infographic that can help you to understand the main vaccines’ differences and the importance and effectiveness of the RBDCOV project. Moreover, you can have a look at the document called “RBDCOV Glossary” that contains technical terms of the project with its definition.
To continue sharing the progress of the project in an accessible language with a wider audience, now you cand see a video summary that explains, in less than 2 minutes, the main ideas of the project and will be shared on the social networks (Twitter and LinkedIn).
