"By participating in this trial, volunteers will be advancing research that will help in the fight against COVID-19 and other infectious diseases as well,” said Dr. Michaeline McGuinty.Healthy adults are invited to participate in a clinical trial at The Ottawa Hospital to test a COVID-19 vaccine candidate developed by VBI Vaccines Inc., a biotechnology company with Ottawa-based research and development facilities. The first phase of the trial is expected to include 60 healthy adults age 18-54, while the second phase could expand participants to all ages 18 and over. The Ottawa Hospital site, led by Dr. Bill Cameron and Dr. Michaeline McGuinty, is one of nine sites in Canada enrolling participants.

“It is essential that we continue to develop and test COVID-19 vaccines because this virus will be with us for some time, and many vaccines will be needed to reach everyone,” said Dr. Bill Cameron, Medical Director of Clinical Research and infectious disease specialist at The Ottawa Hospital and professor at the University of Ottawa. 

“By participating in this trial, volunteers will be advancing research that will help in the fight against COVID-19 and other infectious diseases as well,” said Dr. Michaeline McGuinty, infectious disease specialist and clinician investigator at The Ottawa Hospital and lecturer at the University of Ottawa.

The vaccine candidate, called VBI-2902, contains the spike protein from SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) embedded in a synthetic lipid envelope. It is referred to as an enveloped virus-like particle (eVLP) because, to the immune system, the vaccine particles mimic the natural presentation of viruses, but have no infectious genetic material and cannot replicate.

“We are excited to begin the clinical assessment of our eVLP approach to vaccination against coronaviruses with this first clinical study of VBI-2902,” said Jeff Baxter, President and CEO of VBI in a media release from VBI. “We are committed to bringing forward candidates that add meaningful clinical and medical benefit to those already approved – be it as a one-dose administration, more durable immune responses, and/or providing broader protection against known and emerging variants of COVID-19. We are grateful for the support of our Canadian partners at the Department of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, the National Research Council, and Resilience Biotechnologies. We look forward to sharing initial data from this study in "It is essential that we continue to develop and test COVID-19 vaccines because this virus will be with us for some time, and many vaccines will be needed to reach everyone,” said Dr. Bill Cameron.the coming months as well as initiating clinical studies of our pan-coronavirus vaccine candidate, expected later in 2021.”

VBI was founded in Ottawa by Dr. Francisco Diaz-Mitoma, formerly a scientist at CHEO and professor at the University of Ottawa, and currently Chief Medical Officer of VBI. The company maintains research and development facilities in Ottawa, with corporate headquarters in the United States and a research and manufacturing facility in Israel. VBI is also working with The Ottawa Hospital’s Biotherapeutics Manufacturing Centre to support manufacturing of its vaccine cell line.

Individuals who participate in the VBI-2902 trial will be randomized to receive different doses of the experimental vaccine or a placebo. Neither the participants nor the study team will know which group a participant is in until the study ends. Safety, tolerability and immune responses will be evaluated. Further trial details are available at clinicaltrials.gov. Ottawa residents who are interested in participating can call The Ottawa Hospital’s Clinical Investigation Unit at 613-737-8811 or email ciu@toh.ca to learn more.

 About The Ottawa Hospital 
The Ottawa Hospital is one of Canada’s top learning and research hospitals, where excellent care is inspired by research and driven by compassion. As the third-largest employer in Ottawa, our support staff, researchers, nurses, physicians, and volunteers never stop seeking solutions to the most complex health-care challenges. Our multi-campus hospital, affiliated with the University of Ottawa, attracts some of the most influential scientific minds from around the world. Backed by generous support from the community, we are committed to providing the world-class, compassionate care we would want for our loved ones. www.ohri.ca

About the University of Ottawa
The University of Ottawa is home to over 50,000 students, faculty and staff, who live, work and study in both French and English. Our campus is a crossroads of cultures and ideas, where bold minds come together to inspire game-changing ideas. We are one of Canada’s top 10 research universities—our professors and researchers explore new approaches to today’s challenges. One of a handful of Canadian universities ranked among the top 200 in the world, we attract exceptional thinkers and welcome diverse perspectives from across the globe. www.uottawa.ca

Media contact
Jenn Ganton
jganton@ohri.ca 
613-614-5253