Los Angeles biotech companies are in a race to create vaccines as the U.S. embarks on the largest public health initiative in generations.
On Friday, the FDA issued emergency authorization to Pfizer's COVID vaccine, paving the way for a massive mobilization effort across the country. Moderna has also submitted a vaccine, slated for review December 17.
But that won't bring an end to the need for vaccines.
"Let's face it, there are close to 7 billion people on this Earth, and most of them will need a vaccine," said City of Hope vaccine researcher Don J.Diamond. "No one company will want to devote the resources to vaccinating the world."
There are an estimated 237 vaccines under development globally, according to the Milken Institute's vaccine and treatment tracker. Most are still in early development; only 38 of them are in clinical trials. A majority of these vaccines will not make it to market.
Two vaccines are in phase one trials in Southern California. If those trials show the vaccine is safe, the companies will go on to test for effectiveness in phase two and three trials, which Milken estimates could take eight months.
California's first round of COVID-19 vaccine distributions could begin as early as next week, with 84,000 doses for healthcare workers on the frontlines with another shipment to follow later this month.
But experts are concerned that even with the FDA's approval and shipments on the way, the U.S. will not be able to meet its goal to get Americans vaccinated by summer.
Here's a look at the L.A. companies in the race toward that goal by developing new vaccines.
ImmunityBio
The El Segundo-based biotech company ImmunityBio is the furthest along. It started phase one trials of its vaccine at Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach in October with 35 patients.
No adverse reactions have been reported in the 20 individuals that have received low doses of the vaccines, so far.
The vaccine, called hAd5, uses engineered adenovirus that targets "spike" and "nucleocapsid" COVID proteins to generate antibodies that the company hopes will provide long-term immunity.
The CEO of ImmunityBio, Patrick Soon-Shiong, a biotech leader and billionaire who owns the umbrella company NantQwest and the Los Angeles Times, told the news organization two months ago that the biggest challenge to using adenovirus is that it is a common cold virus. Many already have developed antibodies that could hurt its effectiveness.
His late-stage immunotherapy company had been working with adenovirus in its development of drugs for cancer and infectious diseases
The two-dose vaccine in development wouldn't require frigid temperatures that Pfizer's vaccine needs.
The company sees promise. Last month, it found that T cells gathered from previously infected patients showed indications that an immune response could be triggered by the vaccine.
"As the virus continues to spread at an alarming rate, it is important that we develop COVID-19 vaccines that not only provide the population with protection from new infection through antibodies that block viral entry into cells, but also establish a robust T cell immune response to clear the virus from infected cells," said Soon-Shiong said in a statement announcing the findings.
City of Hope
A team at City of Hope's clinical research center for cancer, diabetes and diseases announced last month it entered a phase one clinical trials. The vaccine aims to stimulate antibodies and T cells that can block the virus from entering susceptible cell types such as those in the lungs.
The first volunteer, a City of Hope employee, is scheduled to receive the first dose of the vaccine on Friday.
Researchers at the Duarte-based biomedical treatment and research facility developed a synthetic platform technology that hosts the SARS-CoV-2 spike and nucleocapsid proteins known as an MVA.
The MVA then replicates DNA within other cells that ultimately leads to the production of Sars-CoV-2 proteins that triggers an immune response.
According to City of Hope, synthetic MVA is a safely modified version of the poxvirus that's been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the prevention of smallpox and monkeypox. It's also included in the federal government's Strategic National Stockpile for lifesaving use during a public health emergency.
Like many other vaccines, City of Hope's would require two doses. It would need to be stored at 60 degrees celsius, not as cold as Pfizer's, but researchers are investigating whether it can be freeze dried and stored at room temperature. The trial is estimated to finish by the end of March 2021.
Capricor Therapeutics
The Beverly Hills-based clinical stage biotech company is in the early stages of developing an exosome-RNA vaccine with Johns Hopkins University that uses tiny particles secreted by cells as a natural drug delivery vehicle in the body.
"As a cell-free substance, exosomes can be stored, handled, reconstituted and administered in a similar fashion to common biopharmaceutical products, such as antibodies and other recombinant protein drugs," the company said in a statement.
The 15-year-old company is known for developing exosome-based therapeutics to treat conditions including Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
Capricor said it has also begun phase two of a clinical trial of a therapeutic for patients at high-risk that are infected with the virus. The study is enrolling high-risk patients to examine the long-term cardiac consequences of the virus.
**This story has been updated.
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Visitors to L.A. – or locals looking for a fun reason to leave their apartments – can scroll the interactive map on a browser or download the app.
Image courtesy of the L.A. Tourism Dept.
The “Discover Los Angeles” map can be broken down by neighborhood or by a series of “guides,” which all feature as part of the larger promotional campaign roll-out known as the Explorer’s Guide to L.A
Atlas Obscura and the Tourism Department also published a hardcover edition of the Explorer’s Guide, along with several other speciality breakout guides, including the Meeting Planners Guide, artistic Visitor’s Map and, for those with more expensive tastes, the L.A. Luxury Guide to the city’s pricier pursuits. The paper versions of the guides have QR codes for travelers to scan and take information with them on the go.
This year’s collaboration with Atlas Obscura gives the Tourism Department’s previous guide a much-needed update – it was previously a whopping 136-page PDF document created in 2020.
The Explorer’s Guide includes a mix of places you’d expect to see on the map, like Griffith Park and the museum at the La Brea Tar Pits. It also has some unlikely spots sourced from Atlas Obscura’s network of local explorers who recommended their favorite places to visit: the Palos Verdes Peninsula, Venice Canals or the Watts Towers, a stunning, monumental public art exhibit of mosaic steel towers that was built by one Italian immigrant over a 34-year period.
30 neighborhoods are discussed in the guide, from classic tourist destinations like Hollywood and beach cities like Santa Monica and Venice to lesser-known but still exciting enclaves like Leimert Park, Frogtown and Little Ethiopia. There’s also several maps for specific interests – taqueria lovers will find new spots to nosh with the taco map, and there’s also a map of the Downtown Arts District, spots to stargaze and sports venues.
“For myself and the writers and editors on this project, many of them L.A. natives, getting to write and curate the official visitors guide to the city of L.A. was an absolute dream,” Atlas Obscura co-founder Dylan Thuras said in a statement. “We hope that these guides will inspire all the curious travelers arriving in L.A., to try new things, as well as providing new adventures for longtime L.A. residents. There is really no limit to what L.A. has to offer.”