Two Finnish groups are developing Covid-19 vaccine

In Finland, two different research groups have started developing a vaccine against coronavirus. According to the scientists, one vaccine will be ready for experiments already in the summer, the other will take longer before it can be experimented on by humans.

Kalle Saksela, Professor of Virology at the University of Helsinki, is making the vaccine on a faster schedule.

“Right now, similar types of vaccines are testing into healthy volunteers. Technically, we are at the same point in early summer. Our own vaccine is ready to be tested before midsummer,” said Saksela.

He says he would not hesitate to be one of the volunteers.

According to Helsingin Sanomat, Saksela is developing a nasal vaccine together with the groups of Academy Professor Kari Alitalo from the University of Helsinki and Academy Professor Seppo Ylä-Herttula from the University of Eastern Finland.

Another domestic vaccine targets a later stage of the epidemic. Professor Mika Rämet, Director of the Vaccine Research Center at the University of Tampere and Assistant Professor Vesa Hytönen from the University of Tampere are involved.

For the second wave

Rämet said, “We don’t want to race to be the fastest. The idea is that there would be something to offer against the second wave of the epidemic.”

The group's vaccine could be ready for animal testing in the fall.

Schedules differences came from making techniques. Both Finnish projects reflect on how many ways vaccines can be made.

More than 100 projects

It is estimated that more than hundred vaccines are being developed around the world against coronavirus.

The World Health Organization (WHO) maintains a list of projects, according to which five have passed the first phase of human experiments and more than 70 are currently being tested on experimental animals. Not all projects, such as Finnish researchers, have yet reached the WHO list.

“All possible vaccine developments are in active use, and there is no reason to doubt that good vaccines are not coming” Saksela believes.