If you’ve ever read The Hot Zone, news of the ebola crisis has probably sent you into a tailspin of hoarding nonperishables and prepping your bug-out bag—in a word, it’s terrifying. But all is not lost, thanks at least to one local company that’s tinkering with an oral ebola vaccine.
South San Francisco-based Vaxart’s vaccine program has been in the works for two years, but was sidelined due to lack of funding. What a difference, though, an impending pandemic makes! They’ve revived their research and are hoping to get their vaccine, which comes in pill form and helps improve immunity against the disease, into clinical trials by early next year. Beyond the cheers from needle-phobic recipients, a tablet vaccine benefits from increased shelf stability for up to a year and decreased need for infrastructure like refrigeration needed for injectable vaccines. Sleep soundly tonight knowing that very smart scientists very nearby could potentially prevent, or at least curb, the spread of ebola. Amen (again) to the Bay Area.
