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>> WE ARE CONFIDENT WE CAN MAKE A VACCINE. LOWELL: A PRETTY STRONG STATEMENT FROM DR. GREGORY GLENN, PRESIDENT OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT AT GAITHERSBURG BASED NOVAVAX. HIS COMPANY IS ON THE FRONTLINES OF DEVELOPING A COVID-19 VACCINE AND THINGS ARE WAY AHEAD OF SCHEDULE. >> WE HAVE BEEN DOING THIS, THINKING ABOUT THIS VERY PROBLEM FOR ABOUT 10 YEARS IN THE CONTEXT OF OTHER VIRUSES LIKE THE FLU. LOWELL: NOVAVAX SCIENTISTS ARE CREATING WHAT ARE CALLED SPIKE PROTEINS TO HELP NEUTRALIZE THE VIRUS. AFTER TWEAKING THE VACCINE MORE THAN 20 TIMES, THESE SCIENTISTS HAVE SEEN PROMISING RESULTS IN ANIMAL TESTS KNOWN AS PHASE ONE. >> WE NOW HAVE A VERY GOOD LOOKING VACCINE BASED ON THOSE CRITERIA, BUT ALSO ANIMAL STUDIES, WHERE WE HAVE IMMUNIZED AND GET A STRONG RESPONSE AND IT’S A FUNCTIONAL RESPONSE. LOWELL: PHASE TWO OF THE PROJECT WILL INVOLVE HUMANS WHO WILL START GETTING THE TEST VACCINE IN MID-MAY WITH RESULTS EXPECTED BY THE END OF JUNE. THE QUESTION EVERYONE WANTS TO KNOW IS WHEN WILL THE VACCINE BE READY. ACCORDING TO SOME EXPERTS, IT COULD BE SOON AS DECEMBER. A LOT WILL DEPEND ON FEDERAL REGULATORS. STILL, HAVING A TREATMENT FOR COVID-19 WILL CERTAINLY BUY SOME TIME. >> THE MILESTONES ARE WHEN YOU ARE DONE WITH PHASE ONE, WHEN YOU ARE DONE WITH PHASE TWO, WHEN YOU HAVE THE STUDY. WE ARE TRYING TO COMPRESS THAT. THAT WILL BE TO SOME DEGREE IT WILL BE GUIDANCE BY REGULATORS. I’M OPTIMISTIC WE CAN MAKE A VACCINE AND WE WILL DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO MAKE IT

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A Maryland-based company believes it has identified an optimal vaccine candidate for COVID-19.|| Coronavirus updates | Maryland's latest numbers | Rumor Control ||Novavax in Gaithersburg has seen some promising results in animal testing and it will next switch to human tests."We're confident we can make a vaccine," said Dr. Gregory Glenn, president of research and development at Novavax.Novavax is on the front lines of developing a COVID-19 vaccine, and things are way ahead of schedule."We've been thinking about this very problem for about 10 years in the context of some other viruses, like flu," Glenn said.Novavax scientists are creating what are called "spike proteins" to help neutralize the virus. After tweaking the vaccine more than 20 times, the scientists have seen promising results in animal tests, known as phase one."We now have a very good-looking vaccine, and that's based on those criteria, but also now on animal studies where we've immunized, we get a very strong response and it's a functional response," Glenn said.Phase two of the project will involve humans, who will start getting the test vaccine in mid-May with results expected by the end of June.But the question everyone wants to know: When will the vaccine be ready? While some experts feel it could be by December, much depends on federal regulators, and good treatments will bide some time."The milestones would be when are you done with phase one, when are you done with phase two, when do you have advocacy studies, so we're trying to compress all that that's going to be, to some degree, it'll be guidance by regulators," Glenn said. "I'm optimistic that we can make a vaccine and we're going to do everything we can to make it soon."