1 September 2020
Australia’s largest Phase 1 Clinical trials specialist, Nucleus Network, has today commenced dosing the first human participants for the Phase 1/2 trial COVID-19 Vaccine trial in collaboration with the vaccine’s developer Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd in partnership with the local sponsor, Accelagen Pty Ltd.
30 healthy participants, aged 18 to 59 years of age, have been screened to take part in Phase 1 of the trial under the guidance of Nucleus Network’s leading expert in infectious disease Principal Investigator Assoc. Professor Paul Griffin. Phase 2 of the trial will include 250 participants and is expected to commence in October.
Victorian Parliamentary Secretary for Medical Research, The Hon. Frank McGuire said today, “Medical research is the key to discovering therapies and hopefully vaccines to fight this new, mysterious virus. Melbourne is the beating heart of Australia’s internationally acclaimed medical research, highlighted by another overseas specialist conducting its trials here.
“From small investments, big ideas can grow. In 2003, the Bracks Government invested $1 million through a Victorian Government Science and Technology Innovation grant into Nucleus Network, which has evolved into an international company, coordinating trials in the global challenge to find a vaccine for COVID-19. The Andrews Government’s last budget invested $116.5 million into medical research to drive new life-saving and life-changing breakthroughs,” said Mr. McGuire.
“Victoria, and Melbourne in particular, is a renowned international epicentre of medical research and this latest trial by Nucleus Network on behalf of the Serum Institute is further evidence of our gold standard biopharma capabilities and the international collaborative effort to find a vaccine,” says Mr. McGuire
Nucleus Network is now administering three of approximately 36 in-human COVID-19 Phase 1 and 2 vaccine trials globally, with The University of Queensland and Novavax also selecting Nucleus Network to conduct their trials. This makes Nucleus one of the only Phase 1 clinical trials specialist entrusted to undertake multiple COVID-19 vaccine trials anywhere in the world.
