Research Proposal: SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine

Research Proposal: SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine

Research Question: Can a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine become available within a year?

Hypothesis: If research is being conducted in human clinical trials, then a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine available to the public, is feasible within 6 months up to 2 years.

Researching the viability of a SARS-CoV-2 (also known as Coronavirus or Covid-19) vaccine within a year is important to gain an understanding of when a resolution to the current pandemic can be reached. Coronavirus has ravaged the entire world and shows no signs of stopping or slowing in the near future. As of November, the world has seen 50.1 million Coronavirus cases and 1.25 million Coronavirus related deaths since the pandemic began approximately 11 months ago. Vaccine research began the early part of March 2020 and is currently being tested in many countries across the world.

It is important to gain a better understanding of the timeline in which it takes to develop, test and approve a vaccine. The typical timeline for vaccine development can take several years to create and is broken down into phases. Initial research and testing is typically done using animals like mice, rabbits and monkeys. Phase 1 is a small group of volunteers, typically 20-100, and lasts a few months. Phase 2 consists of several hundred participants and lasts anywhere from a few months to two years. Phase 3 utilizes several hundred to several thousand volunteers and timeframe for testing depends on results of participants (“U.S. Vaccine Safety-Overview, History and How it Works” 2020).

Research will be conducted using scholarly articles and utilizing data from previous vaccines developed in a similar manner. A vaccine for the Ebola virus has been developed and approved by the FDA for use in the United States. Data on the Ebola virus will provide context and clues that may help develop a timeline for a Coronavirus vaccine.

Based on current data, a Coronavirus vaccine could be available within a year. A main cause for concern is implementing a vaccine that has not been thoroughly tested, creating a distrust in vaccine science and/or unintended medical issues causally related to side effects.

 

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Lazarus, J., Ratzan, S., Palayew, A., Gostin, L., Larson, H., Rabin, K., . . . El-Mohandes, A. (2020, October 20). A global survey of potential acceptance of a COVID-19 vaccine. Retrieved November 13, 2020, from https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-020-1124-9?campaign_id=154

Poland, G., Ovsyannikova, I., Crooke, S., & Kennedy, R. (2020, July 30). SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine Development: Current Status. Retrieved November 13, 2020, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025619620308272

Researching Ebola in Africa. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.niaid.nih.gov/diseases-conditions/researching-ebola-africa

U.S. Vaccine Safety - Overview, History, and How It Works. (2020, September 09). Retrieved November 13, 2020, from http://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/ensuringsafety/history/index.html