This story comes out of Washington DC. Novavax, one among many biotech companies financed by Operation Warp Speed - so DARPA - expects to be submitting its application for Emergency Use Authorization by the FDA in a few weeks. Since the above mentioned article was published January 3rd, probably very soon now.
Since this company was financed by DARPA, and gives people more choices thus perhaps decreasing the amount of people who will continue to resist vaccination, I expect it to pass with flying colors.
You'll notice in the first sentence, maybe hoping we won't read further, they state that Novavax is submitting for FDA Approval, which we know is false. In the next sentence they then, correctly, refer to Emergency Use Authorization.
The Novavax CEO is quoted as saying:
Novavax is committed to delivering our protein-based vaccine in the United States, where the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve with the emergence of new variants, ongoing need to ensure primary vaccination for the eligible population, and need for boosting...
Interesting. I can tell you so far that "protein" = S-protein or the spikes we're all familiar with. This already foreshadows that the Novavax vaccine is unlike any other COVID-19 vaccine currently authorized in the United States. And it's already authorized and/or in use in other parts of the world. We can also expect the Novavax Vaccine to be another choice in the unstudied mix-and-match boosters.
Okay, let's take a look at the Novavax website and see if we can find more information on these vaccines.
Our recombinant nanoparticle vaccine technology combines the power and speed of genetic engineering to efficiently produce a new class of highly immunogenic particles that target a variety of viral pathogens.
So Novavax genetically engineers Corona Virus spike proteins just like the other COVID-19 vaccines. In other words, they use the genetic sequence for the spike protein, not sure if it's the same one provided by China, you'll find out why later, make the spike protein in-house, and then these proteins are put together in an interesting configuration. If any of you are old enough to remember playing jacks as a child, the shape of the particle is similar -not exactly- to jacks. The particle has what looks like 8 spike proteins while jacks have 6 points. It's these particles, among other things, that provoke what they say is an immune response that "may be more efficacious than naturally occurring immunity..." We shall see.
There are several steps in creating these "native configuration" particles. I take native configuration to mean that jacks shape. So they start with the genetic code for the spike protein and insert this gene into a baculovirus (BV). The BV replicates in insect cells -derived from the fall armyworm- so that the insect cells express the spike protein. They call this their "Sf9/BV insect cell platform." They then distill these spike proteins into their special particle.
If you think about it, for the Pfizer, Moderna, and J&J vaccines, we are essentially the same as the insects used to produce the spike protein for the Novavax Vaccine. They think so highly of us!
I see this as a plus for Novavax, because their vaccine contains something similar to a dead virus much like classical vaccines. They can control how much of these particles we get.
So far we know that their vaccine will contain this particle, but there's more. They have a special sauce with secret ingredients that is injected along with the previously mentioned particles. They say this secret sauce, the Matrix MTM adjuvant, will really piss your immune system off. This is finally where the nanoparticles come into the picture. However, these nanoparticles are based on saponin, an all natural plant extract.
Unfortunately, just because something is all natural doesn't mean it's good for you. Saponins are usually toxic according to this review of the literature, but when combined with phospholipids and cholesterol, its toxicity is neutralized. Since nanoparticles are so reactive with biology, it's difficult to believe that they can make it past the deltoid muscle without being absorbed by surrounding cells first. It is possible for these nanoparticles to cause inflammation and unplanned immune responses in the brain at least, but I blame most of the serious side effects from the mRNA vaccines to the spike protein being presented in some very unfortunate places in the body.
This would have been the vaccine of my choice for the first 2 doses because it imitates the dead virus. Instead I got Moderna and became the spike protein generating insect wherever the mRNA carrying nanoparticles got absorbed. I survived without issue so far -it's been about 4.5 months- but I'm really watching the 6 month mark to feel like I'm out of the woods. Since Omicron is out and about, I don't plan on getting a booster, so no Novavax when it comes out.
It will be my vaccine of choice if the government puts a gun to my head 😅.
I'll keep following Novavax to see and report as things develop.