Q: I have heard that vaccines are frequently tested on animals first and this one wasn’t. Can you address that?
The early development of each vaccine involved testing in animals. The mRNA vaccines were tested in animals while trying to create solutions for zika, ebola, influenza, HIV, and many other infectious diseases. The great advantage of the mRNA vaccines is that when a “new” threat is identified then we simply need to have the genetic code to be able to make the mRNA vaccine. This technology has been built over decades of testing in the lab, in animals, and in early phase human studies.
See response to question on “mRNA Technology” for more information.
Response by E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA, Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs, UM Baltimore, John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor, Dean, University of Maryland School of Medicine
and
Wilbur H. Chen, MD, MS, FACP, FISDA, Professor of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicinem Chief, Adult Clinical Studies section, Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health (CVD), Director, UMB Travel Medicine Practice