New COVID vaccine developed by UW scientists

A COVID-19 vaccine developed by UW Medicine researchers has been approved in Korea, becoming the first COVID therapeutic technology from the Seattle health care system to be greenlighted for patient use.

UW Medicine scientists who worked on the technology behind the vaccine say their version is a “second-generation” COVID immunization that’s protein-based — different from the mRNA vaccines developed by Pfizer and Moderna. As a result, the vaccine, trademarked as SKYCovione, is effective in low doses, simple to manufacture and stable without deep freezing, said Neil King and David Veesler, both UW Medicine biochemistry professors and vaccine co-developers.

The vaccine, which was approved for patient use by the Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety last week, is now pursuing authorization in the U.K. and other countries, according to a UW Medicine statement. If the vaccine is approved for emergency use by the World Health Organization, it will become available through COVAX, an international effort to distribute vaccines equitably around the world.