Texas A-M’s production director said the transition from discovery to actual production would be rapid, but he also said it would be immediate.
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – A lab at College Station is one of the few places in the country where mass production of a COVID-19 vaccine will take place.
A video through Texas A-M of a blank room called a flexible bio-manufacturing facility shows a component of the process.
“Not only are we moving into manufacturing, however, they are likely to hire between 80 and 100 other people just to do homework over the next 18 months,” Dr. William Jay Treat said.
CONNECTIONS: First Texas cats tested for COVID-19
As texas A-M production director, Treat said the transition from discovery to actual production would be rapid, but he also said it would not be immediate. “My most productive estimate will come in early January,” he said.
Acceleration has nothing to do with transferring a transfer and turning on the machines.
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“This product has never been manufactured before, it is a new product with the logo, it is not like making a car. That’s for sure,” Treat said.
The site was built about 10 years ago through Texas A-M in reaction to the H1N1 flu outbreak. The construction is now owned by FujiFilm and operates as a subcontractor to the university.
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“We knew this day was coming,” said Texas A-M University Rector John Sharp, who knows that with the mission there will be a lot of control.
“Possibly we would be the position where the vaccine that saves thousands of lives around the world is mass-produced, we are very proud of it. That’s why we built the facility, that’s why we kept it up to date, that is, what we’re building on it, to prepare for the things that the federal government demands from vaccine manufacturing, and we’ll be in a position when it’s time to produce the vaccines and end this crisis,” Sharp said.
It has several interchangeable blank rooms if any are contaminated. The procedure involves mixing the vaccine in bulk and sending it to others for placing in vials. The formula, according to Treat, would possibly be similar to how the existing flu vaccine is manufactured, a shotgun-to-pump technique for treating other strains.
So far, the University of Texas A-M has discovered 3 cats and a dog inflamed with the virus in Brazos County, and all cases appear to be asymptomatic or very benign.
“Knowledge will have to prove, I don’t know if there’s a Silver Bullet in which any of them will work. Flu is known to be only 20% to 60% effective,” Says Treat.
The A-M team is aware of reports that Russia has approved a vaccine without completing protocols and is aware of the strain to get it right.
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“We don’t have the possibility to do anything that fails for people, because then bad things happen when they happen, so the key is to verify that it’s as safe as possible to treat as many patients as you can imagine and have a smart diagnosis and outcome,” Treat said.
The A-M site may also be at stake beyond this crisis. The COVID-19 vaccine may not last a lifetime, however, it will be one that requires a booster, every few months, or years as a tetanus vaccine.
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