How the Novavax Covid-19 Vaccine Works

The Maryland-based company Novavax has developed a protein-based coronavirus vaccine called NVX-CoV2373. The vaccine produced strikingly high levels of antibodies in early clinical trials. In September, the vaccine entered a Phase 3 clinical trial in the United Kingdom, and another one in the United States at the end of December. Those trials will show whether the vaccine is safe and effective.

Coronavirus Proteins

The SARS-CoV-2 virus is studded with proteins that it uses to enter human cells. These so-called spike proteins make a tempting target for potential vaccines and treatments.

The Novavax vaccine works by teaching the immune system to make antibodies to the spike protein.

Growing Spike Proteins

To create their vaccine, Novavax researchers started with a modified spike gene. They inserted the gene into a different virus, called a baculovirus, and allowed it to infect insect cells. The infected cells produced spike proteins that spontaneously joined together to form spikes, as they do on the surface of the coronavirus.