A gene therapy being used to cure a form of blindness may hold the key to a speedy coronavirus vaccine. The AAVCOVID vaccine has been tested for more than two decades, and is approved by the FDA to treat Luxturna, a form of inherited blindness, and spinal muscular dystrophy. AAVCOVID transforms a fragment of genetic code from the coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) into the harmless AAV virus. But this time, instead of delivering gene therapy, it delivers instruction to the body to make the “spike” protein that could teach the immune system to recognize and fight off future infections of COVID-19. If studies continue to go well, AAVCOVID vaccine may begin testing in clinical trials this Summer. If regulatory approval is granted, vaccine production could be scaled up quickly to meet global demand, because multiple companies already make the AAVCOVID vaccine. Learn more at https://bit.ly/2Ac8nEi
