Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) and BioNTech (Nasdaq:BNTX) have begun a Phase 1 study to investigate the next-generation BNT162b4 COVID-19 vaccine candidate that could potentially result in a stronger and more durable immune response.
Known as BNT162b4, the vaccine candidate has a T cell antigen mRNA encoding for SARS-CoV-2 non-spike proteins that are conserved across various variants.
The first-generation mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines encoded the spike protein of the original SARS-CoV-2 virus. The second-generation mRNA-based boosters distributed in the U.S. encode both the spike protein from the original SARS-CoV-2 virus and the BA.4/BA.5 sub-variants.
Earlier this year, Mikael Dolsten, Pfizer’s president of worldwide R&D and medical, said the company aimed to “deliver a next-generation COVID-19 vaccine that can provide durable antibody and T cell immune protection against severe disease and hospitalization for at least one year.”
Dolsten…