The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Australia’s national science agency, has commenced the first stage of testing potential vaccines for Covid-19. The testing, expected to take three months, is under way at the Australian Animal Health Laboratory (AAHL), the organisation’s high-containment biosecurity facility in Geelong.
Last year, CSIRO partnered with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), a global group that aims to derail epidemics by speeding up development of vaccines. In January, CEPI engaged CSIRO to work on countering the virus SARS CoV-2, which causes Covid-19.
In consultation with WHO, CEPI identified vaccine candidates from University of Oxford (UK) and Ino
