Current vaccine research in Turkey: A brief overview

* Photos and news: Anadolu Agency (AA)

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Scientists in Turkey are currently working on 17 publicly-supported vaccine candidates against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). One candidate vaccine will soon start Phase 2 tests, while the pre-clinical trials of seven others have been completed and are ongoing for the remaining studies.

Dr. Semra Aydin, a faculty member of the Vaccine Institute of Hacettepe University in the capital Ankara, has spoken to the state-run Anadolu Agency (AA) about the ongoing vaccine research in Turkey.

"Efforts to produce COVID-19 vaccines have paved the way for a process to regain our former experience, create our infrastructure and train seasoned personnel," Dr. Aydın has told AA reporters.

Endeavors to develop a vaccine to help overcome the current outbreak are ongoing at different stages across Turkey, with scientists working on a wide variety including some based on inactive viruses, as well as others on adenoviruses and virus-like particles.

'No 100 percent clarity'

"If all goes well, we anticipate that we will be able to have our domestic vaccine in the summer at the latest," Dr. Sezer Okay from the Vaccine Institute has said, underlining that nearly all known methods of vaccine development were being used in the various studies in Turkey.

Okay has noted that since COVID-19 is a relatively new disease, it is difficult to discern which type of jab would be most effective against it.

"There is also no 100 percent clarity about which vaccine will be more effective," Dr. Okay has explained further, while emphasizing that people should trust vaccines developed in the country as "we can monitor every stage of vaccine development with transparency."

He has said that current efforts by the Vaccine Institute are progressing rapidly with the support of Turkey's Institutes of Health Administration. 

"The vaccine that we have developed falls into the peptide vaccine variety. We can define peptides as small protein particles of the virus," he has said, adding that they were currently at the animal trial stages.

Stages of vaccine development studies

Vaccine development studies are conducted in four stages, from the pre-clinical stage to Phase 1, Phase 2 and Phase 3.

• In preclinical studies, candidate jabs are tested on animals to determine their reliability and effectiveness.
• During this phase, candidates are tested for side effects and whether they produce sufficient antibodies.
• The vaccine is then tested on humans in Phase 1, Phase 2, and Phase 3 stages.
• In Phase 1, the reliability and possible side effects of the vaccine are investigated on a small number of volunteers consisting of healthy subjects.
• Phase 2 trials focus on a candidate's effectiveness after its reliability was confirmed in the previous stage. They are carried out on more than 100 subjects.
• Finally, at the Phase 3 stage, the same process is repeated on several thousand subjects.

About COVID-19 vaccination in Turkey

Turkey on Monday (January 25) started to vaccinate people over 80 years old as part of its countrywide immunization drive for the coronavirus.

Health Minister Fahrettin Koca has confirmed that senior citizens would be vaccinated in line with planning by the Coronavirus Science Board.

According to official ministry figures, Turkey has so far vaccinated more than 1.4 million people, most of them healthcare staff.

As many as 6.5 million doses of China's CoronaVac vaccine was also delivered to Turkey on Monday.

A plane carrying the second batch of a COVID-19 vaccine ordered from China's Sinovac Biotech Ltd. arrived early Monday in Istanbul, Turkey.

A total of 6.5 million doses of the inactive COVID-19 vaccine were brought in the first part of the second shipment of 10 million doses.

Mass vaccinations began in Turkey on January 14, 2021 after the first batch of 3 million doses of the vaccine developed by China's SinoVac Biotech company arrived in Turkey on December 30, 2020. Later, a second consignment of 10 million doses was approved. .

Minister Koca and President and ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdogan were among the first ones to be vaccinated in a stated attempt to "boost public confidence in the vaccine."

Since last month, Turkey has been imposing curfews on weekdays and at the weekend as part of its efforts to curb the virus' spread. (AS/SD)