Novel COVID-19 Vaccine Candidate

MSI PIs Fang Li  (professor, Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences) and Marc Jenkins (Regents Professor, Microbiology and Immunology) and their colleagues have developed a novel vaccine that might be effective against COVID-19 and its variants. The vaccine combines the advantages of virus-based and protein-based vaccines. In animal testing, the researchers found that this new vaccine induced a stronger immune response, was highly effective against COVID-19 variants, and was effective in protecting mice against infection. A Research Brief about the project appears on the U of M News site: U of M Scientists Develop a Novel Virus-Like Particle COVID-19 Candidate Vaccine.

Professor Li uses MSI for research focusing on the structural and molecular basis of human diseases such as viral infections, cancer, and abnormal blood pressure. Regents Professor Jenkins uses MSI for research seeking to understand the role of CD4+ T cells at the organismal, cellular, and molecular levels.