Sydney - Australian researchers said on
Tuesday they have mapped the immune responses from one of
country's first coronavirus patients, findings the health
minister said were an important step in developing a vaccine and
treatment.
The coronavirus has infected more than 168,000 people
worldwide and killed at least 6,610, according to the World
Health Organization (WHO).
While the bulk of those infected experience only mild
symptoms, it is severe or critical in 20% of patients. The virus
mortality rate is about 3.4%, the WHO has estimated.
As scientists scramble to develop a vaccine, researchers at
Australia's Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity
said they had taken an important step in understanding the
virus.
By examining the blood results from an unidentified woman in
her 40s, they discovered that people's immune systems respond to
coronavirus in the same way it typically fights flu.
The findings help scientists understand why some patients
recover while others develop more serious respiratory problems,
the researchers said.
"People can use our methods to understand the immune
responses in larger COVID-19 cohorts, and also understand what’s
lacking in those who have fatal outcomes," said Katherine
Kedzierska, professor of microbiology and immunology at the
University of Melbourne, which took part in the research.
COVID-19 is the disease caused by the coronavirus.
As researchers monitored the Australian patient's immune
response, they were able to accurately predict when she would
recover.
Researchers did not name the patient, but said she was an
Australian citizen who was evacuated out of Wuhan, the epicentre
of the coronavirus outbreak in China.
Health Minister Greg Hunt described the development as
"world leading" and a major development in research on the
disease.
"It's about fast-tracking a vaccine by identifying which
candidates are most likely to be successful," Hunt told
reporters. "It's also about fast-tracking potential therapies
and treatments for patients who already have coronavirus."
At least a dozen drugmakers around the world are working on
vaccines or antiviral and other treatments for the
fast-spreading contagion.
But investment costs for vaccines could run as high as $800
million in a process that, even if accelerated, will likely take
more than a year until approval, according to executives from
companies involved in the effort.