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Joongang Daily | 김명자 서울국제포럼 회장, 한국과총 명예회장, 前 환경부 장관
입력 2021.03.29
23 types of coronavirus are so far known, of which seven have infected and sickened humans. Four of them have caused cold and flu-like symptoms since 1960. A beta virus that causes severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2003 and another beta virus behind the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) in 2014 caused serious infections around the world. Describing its priorities in 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) included Disease X to represent an unknown pathogen that could cause a future epidemic. In the following year, SARS-CoV-2 triggered the Covid-19 pandemic.
As the world battled the unprecedented pandemic, mankind made history by coming up with vaccines for Covid-19 in less than a year. Backed by state funding and support, a new type of vaccine dubbed messenger RNA (mRNA) rolled out in 10 months — compared to a typical vaccine development that usually took more than 10 years — as the first Covid-19 protection. As of March, 12 types of Covid-19 vaccines have been launched by 10 countries. The mRNA vaccine project was a by-product of 40 years of research, experience and knowhow from the SARS and MERS epidemics and collaboration between bio startups and big pharma to fasten the mass production and marketing of the new vaccines.
Currently five types of Covid-19 vaccines are available. They differ depending on the use of a particular antigen or the genetic material that provides the instructions to make specific proteins. A “subunit vaccine” uses the specific parts of a virus for the immune system to recognize. A “viral vector vaccine” uses a safe virus to deliver specific sub-parts, or proteins. An “inactivated vaccine” uses a killed version of the germ that causes a disease. And a DNA vaccine and an RNA vaccine use cells to make proteins. More than 250 candidates are being explored, with 80 undergoing human trials and another 80 being tested on lab animals. Korean bio companies, including SK Bioscience, are also in Phase 1 or 2 trials.
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