Clinical evaluation of an innovative French vaccine candidate against COVID-19: ANRS0640s LKV-PAN-01 (PanCoV) study

Five years after the COVID-19 pandemic, the SARS-CoV-2 virus is still present. Vaccines against COVID-19 have saved millions of lives, but the protection they offer is short-lived and limited in scope, requiring frequent updates and boosters. In order to meet this public health challenge, an innovative, broad-spectrum French vaccine candidate, the
EDC.Pan.CoV (CD40.Pan.CoV) vaccine, has been developed by the Vaccine Research Institute (VRI) and EnnoDC (formerly LinKinVax). A multicentre phase I/II clinical trial, sponsored by Inserm-ANRS MIE, has just begun in France to assess the vaccine safety and ability in inducing a more appropriate, rapid and durable immune response than
current vaccines.
On May 5th 2023, World Health Organization (WHO) declared the end of the global public health emergency caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus; however, this does not mean that the
disease is no longer a threat. The SARS-CoV-2 virus is still circulating. RNA vaccines changed the course of the COVID-19 pandemic and enabled most of us to
return to normal life. While they provide effective protection against severe forms of the disease, they have two shortcomings: the immunity they offer only lasts a few months, and they face challenges related to the continuous wave of new SARS-CoV-2 variants. The aim is therefore to obtain longer-term, more effective, broad-spectrum protection, covering the variants of concern (VOC) responsible for serious infections in at-risk individuals.

Read the full ANRS press release