Brazilian vaccine project designed as booster shot

New scientific studies continue to offer fresh evidence that coronavirus vaccines are the instrument that will allow the world to move past the pandemic. Still, many doubts linger about how to make them more effective. Many countries have started to roll out a third booster shot, while others are mixing different vaccines in the hope of enhancing the immunity conferred to people. 

However, the slow pace of vaccinations in certain countries has created the conditions for a surge in new variants — against which the efficacy of current immunizers remains uncertain.

Trying to get ahead of future demands, Brazilian researchers have launched several vaccine studies that promise to give the country more autonomy if new rounds of inoculations are needed in the months or years to come. One such project is SpiN-Tec, a Covid-19 vaccine developed by scientists at the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG).

The vaccine began development in March 2020, in partnership with the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, a federal biological research institute, and the Science and Technology Ministry. Now, it will begin human trials after getting the nod from the National Sanitary Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) and could be ready for distribution by next year.

With Brazil set to receive a total of 600 million doses of other vaccines by year-end, it could be used as a booster for...