TÜBİTAK Has Announced a Timeline for a Coronavirus Vaccine and Treatment. The President of TÜBİTAK has made significant statements regarding the fight against the coronavirus, the most notable of which is providing a timeline for vaccine and drug development. In response to the global disruption caused by the pandemic, TÜBİTAK has accelerated its efforts. Work on vaccines and therapeutics is continuing at pace. Supported by TÜBİTAK, the Covid-19 Turkey Platform brings together 25 universities, 8 public research institutions and 8 companies, with a total of 225 researchers collaborating under a unified framework. TÜBİTAK President Hasan Mandal provided an update on the current status of the vaccine and drug studies being conducted under this initiative.
President Mandal stressed that these efforts did not start only recently; rather, “now is the time to demonstrate our capabilities.” He emphasized that researchers, companies and the country as a whole have the capacity to achieve these goals. Turkey’s leading research teams and scientists have been working around the clock on this challenge. According to President Mandal, work related to the coronavirus began in December 2019. He explained that experts proposed projects expected to be completed within nine to twelve months. Project submission, evaluation and selection were completed in about ten days. The program began with 14 projects, then expanded to 15 and later to 16 projects. Within those 16 projects, drug-focused and vaccine-focused teams work separately but in coordination. The groups are interconnected and continue their work in a coordinated manner.
Timeline Announced for Coronavirus Vaccine and Treatment
Regarding the vaccine and drug timeline, President Hasan Mandal said that in-silico studies have identified 26 molecules that could represent promising starting points against the coronavirus. Synthesis work has already begun for these candidate molecules, and laboratory investigations are underway. Following these steps, synthesis and production phases have started for compounds that move forward. The president described this progress as encouraging.
President Mandal also noted that understanding the new virus is essential to combating it. Research progresses from characterization: isolating the virus from external conditions, monitoring it and mapping its genetic makeup. He stated that within the coming week they expect to complete genetic characterization. Knowing the virus is a crucial indicator of how to proceed with both drug and vaccine strategies.
Preclinical stages for drug candidates could reach synthesis and production as early as this summer or even sooner. For vaccines, clinical trials are expected to be completed within approximately nine months. The president believes Turkey will serve as an example in managing the follow-up and governance of the process. He addressed a frequent question: can vaccines be developed and manufactured in Turkey? While the country currently lacks domestic facilities dedicated to human pharmaceutical manufacturing, there are companies already authorized to produce veterinary vaccines under the regulations of the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. Once these capable firms meet the necessary conditions, they can be authorized to produce human medicines and vaccines as well. The president concluded that after successful completion of vaccine development studies, Turkey would be able to manufacture vaccines domestically.