Principal Investigator: Gary Whittaker

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): 

We propose to develop a subunit vaccine for MERS-CoV, using a structure-based approach targeting conserved and functionally essential domains in the stalk region of the viral spike protein. MERS-CoV itself is a currently emerging virus in humans with strong links to camels, but an as-yet unproven animal reservoir. The most closely related viruses to MERS-CoV are found in bats. We expect our vaccine platform to be applicable and effective across a wide range of existing and emerging coronaviruses. As our system is based on expression in E. coli is it expected to be cost–effective, and our stalk-based approach is specifically designed to cover a range of distinct coronaviruses. However, it is important to note that our vaccine platform is highly flexible, with the antigen able to be re-engineered rapidly in the face of a novel coronavirus that may emerge, and for which the vaccine developed in this application is not effective.