<p>CureVac CEO Franz-Werner Haas readily admits his German biotech firm is "a bit behind" in the Covid-19 vaccine race, despite using the same cutting-edge technology as rivals Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech.</p>.<p>But with a jab that is easier to store and mass produce, Haas is confident CureVac has found a winning formula -- and that more medical breakthroughs are just around the corner.</p>.<p>"There is definitely a race, but a race against the virus, against time," Haas, 50, told AFP, downplaying the competition between vaccine makers.</p>.<p>CureVac took a major leap forward on Monday when it announced the start of final phase three trials for its Covid-19 vaccine candidate, involving more than 35,000 volunteers in Europe and Latin America.</p>.<p><a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/coronavirus-news-live-updates-india-world-karnataka-maharashtra-tamil-nadu-delhi-kerala-gujarat-Bengaluru-deaths-cases-recoveries-Covid-19-vaccine-pfizer-moderna-AstraZeneca-927835.html"><strong>For latest updates on coronavirus outbreak, click here</strong></a></p>.<p>Early results are expected in the first quarter of next year, Haas said, speaking via Zoom from CureVac's headquarters in the southwestern city of Tuebingen.</p>.<p>By contrast, the shot developed by Germany's BioNTech with US giant Pfizer is this month already being injected into arms in Britain, the United States and Canada.</p>.<p>American firm Moderna is close behind and on the cusp of a US rollout.</p>.<p>Both vaccines are based on experimental technology that uses synthetic versions of molecules called messenger RNA (mRNA) to deliver instructions to the body's cells to create a protein from the virus.</p>.<p>This trains the immune system to be ready to attack if it encounters SARS-CoV-2.</p>.<p>"We are a bit behind," Haas said, which had its "pros and cons".</p>.<p>A key difference with CureVac's vaccine is that it uses natural, non-modified mRNA to trigger an immune response "as close to nature as possible", Haas said.</p>.<p>This has led to a vaccine candidate that can stay stable for at least three months at normal fridge temperatures.</p>.<p>BioNTech's jab needs to be kept at -70 degrees Celsius (-94 degrees Fahrenheit), requiring super-cold freezers, and Moderna's at -20 degrees Celsius.</p>.<p>CureVac's product also requires a far lower dosage of just 12 micrograms, compared to 30 micrograms for BioNTech and 100 for Moderna, allowing for faster mass manufacturing.</p>.<p>Haas said it was "fantastic" the two frontrunners had already shown their vaccines to be safe and around 95 per cent effective.</p>.<p>"We are quite bold and say: this is also what we can achieve," he added.</p>.<p>The company's biggest order to date has come from the European Union, for up to 405 million doses.</p>.<p>The US has not placed one, which Haas said was because Washington already has contracts with a range of other vaccine hopefuls so "there was not really a demand".</p>.<p>But he sees the US as "a very interesting market, post-pandemic".</p>.<p>CureVac's jab may end up having an edge in poorer or warmer countries. But even in Western countries, Haas said "it's easier" if you can store the vaccine in a standard fridge in nursing homes or doctor's offices.</p>.<p>He stressed nevertheless that several vaccines of different kinds will be needed to "unpause the world" and end a pandemic that has killed more than 1.6 million people since it first emerged in China late last year.</p>.<p>Set up in 2000, CureVac prides itself on being the first company to work on mRNA, led by founder Ingmar Hoerr, a pioneer in the field.</p>.<p>Early on, Hoerr attracted the attention of billionaire Dietmar Hopp, co-founder of software behemoth SAP, who has since invested millions of euros and became a controlling shareholder in CureVac.</p>.<p>Given that CureVac has yet to bring a product to market, Haas said Hopp's 15-year-long backing was "quite something".</p>.<p>CureVac made international headlines in March when rumours surfaced that President Donald Trump wanted exclusive US access to any CureVac coronavirus vaccine, a claim both sides denied.</p>.<p>But the ensuing furore prompted Economy Minister Peter Altmaier to declare that "Germany is not for sale".</p>.<p>Haas said the Trump controversy was "not the nicest time", recalling demonstrators outside CureVac's buildings urging the company not to sell out.</p>.<p>In June, the German government paid 300 million euros ($366 million) for a 23 per cent stake in CureVac, followed by a 252-million-euro grant for coronavirus research.</p>.<p>The Covid-19 vaccine breakthroughs have finally pushed mRNA technology into a "sweet spot", Haas said, with proof of concept and increased funding opening the door to a slew of other medical advances.</p>.<p>"What is built up now as (mRNA manufacturing) capacity, is here to stay," Haas said.</p>.<p>CureVac is working on a malaria vaccine with the Gates Foundation, and earlier this year received some "very nice" data on a potential rabies shot.</p>.<p>Haas said mRNA also held huge promise for oncology and could lead to tailored cancer treatments.</p>.<p>With Elon Musk's Tesla, CureVac is developing a "mobile manufacturing unit", akin to a mini RNA factory, that can be shipped anywhere and produce thousands of vaccines in mere days, potentially stopping an outbreak in its tracks.</p>.<p>Haas also sees a future where patients can pop to the pharmacy to pick up "personalised medicine", such as a vaccine to fight their specific tumour and manufactured on site.</p>.<p>"That's the vision," he said. "We have just started."</p>
<p>CureVac CEO Franz-Werner Haas readily admits his German biotech firm is "a bit behind" in the Covid-19 vaccine race, despite using the same cutting-edge technology as rivals Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech.</p>.<p>But with a jab that is easier to store and mass produce, Haas is confident CureVac has found a winning formula -- and that more medical breakthroughs are just around the corner.</p>.<p>"There is definitely a race, but a race against the virus, against time," Haas, 50, told AFP, downplaying the competition between vaccine makers.</p>.<p>CureVac took a major leap forward on Monday when it announced the start of final phase three trials for its Covid-19 vaccine candidate, involving more than 35,000 volunteers in Europe and Latin America.</p>.<p><a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/coronavirus-news-live-updates-india-world-karnataka-maharashtra-tamil-nadu-delhi-kerala-gujarat-Bengaluru-deaths-cases-recoveries-Covid-19-vaccine-pfizer-moderna-AstraZeneca-927835.html"><strong>For latest updates on coronavirus outbreak, click here</strong></a></p>.<p>Early results are expected in the first quarter of next year, Haas said, speaking via Zoom from CureVac's headquarters in the southwestern city of Tuebingen.</p>.<p>By contrast, the shot developed by Germany's BioNTech with US giant Pfizer is this month already being injected into arms in Britain, the United States and Canada.</p>.<p>American firm Moderna is close behind and on the cusp of a US rollout.</p>.<p>Both vaccines are based on experimental technology that uses synthetic versions of molecules called messenger RNA (mRNA) to deliver instructions to the body's cells to create a protein from the virus.</p>.<p>This trains the immune system to be ready to attack if it encounters SARS-CoV-2.</p>.<p>"We are a bit behind," Haas said, which had its "pros and cons".</p>.<p>A key difference with CureVac's vaccine is that it uses natural, non-modified mRNA to trigger an immune response "as close to nature as possible", Haas said.</p>.<p>This has led to a vaccine candidate that can stay stable for at least three months at normal fridge temperatures.</p>.<p>BioNTech's jab needs to be kept at -70 degrees Celsius (-94 degrees Fahrenheit), requiring super-cold freezers, and Moderna's at -20 degrees Celsius.</p>.<p>CureVac's product also requires a far lower dosage of just 12 micrograms, compared to 30 micrograms for BioNTech and 100 for Moderna, allowing for faster mass manufacturing.</p>.<p>Haas said it was "fantastic" the two frontrunners had already shown their vaccines to be safe and around 95 per cent effective.</p>.<p>"We are quite bold and say: this is also what we can achieve," he added.</p>.<p>The company's biggest order to date has come from the European Union, for up to 405 million doses.</p>.<p>The US has not placed one, which Haas said was because Washington already has contracts with a range of other vaccine hopefuls so "there was not really a demand".</p>.<p>But he sees the US as "a very interesting market, post-pandemic".</p>.<p>CureVac's jab may end up having an edge in poorer or warmer countries. But even in Western countries, Haas said "it's easier" if you can store the vaccine in a standard fridge in nursing homes or doctor's offices.</p>.<p>He stressed nevertheless that several vaccines of different kinds will be needed to "unpause the world" and end a pandemic that has killed more than 1.6 million people since it first emerged in China late last year.</p>.<p>Set up in 2000, CureVac prides itself on being the first company to work on mRNA, led by founder Ingmar Hoerr, a pioneer in the field.</p>.<p>Early on, Hoerr attracted the attention of billionaire Dietmar Hopp, co-founder of software behemoth SAP, who has since invested millions of euros and became a controlling shareholder in CureVac.</p>.<p>Given that CureVac has yet to bring a product to market, Haas said Hopp's 15-year-long backing was "quite something".</p>.<p>CureVac made international headlines in March when rumours surfaced that President Donald Trump wanted exclusive US access to any CureVac coronavirus vaccine, a claim both sides denied.</p>.<p>But the ensuing furore prompted Economy Minister Peter Altmaier to declare that "Germany is not for sale".</p>.<p>Haas said the Trump controversy was "not the nicest time", recalling demonstrators outside CureVac's buildings urging the company not to sell out.</p>.<p>In June, the German government paid 300 million euros ($366 million) for a 23 per cent stake in CureVac, followed by a 252-million-euro grant for coronavirus research.</p>.<p>The Covid-19 vaccine breakthroughs have finally pushed mRNA technology into a "sweet spot", Haas said, with proof of concept and increased funding opening the door to a slew of other medical advances.</p>.<p>"What is built up now as (mRNA manufacturing) capacity, is here to stay," Haas said.</p>.<p>CureVac is working on a malaria vaccine with the Gates Foundation, and earlier this year received some "very nice" data on a potential rabies shot.</p>.<p>Haas said mRNA also held huge promise for oncology and could lead to tailored cancer treatments.</p>.<p>With Elon Musk's Tesla, CureVac is developing a "mobile manufacturing unit", akin to a mini RNA factory, that can be shipped anywhere and produce thousands of vaccines in mere days, potentially stopping an outbreak in its tracks.</p>.<p>Haas also sees a future where patients can pop to the pharmacy to pick up "personalised medicine", such as a vaccine to fight their specific tumour and manufactured on site.</p>.<p>"That's the vision," he said. "We have just started."</p>