Dr. Chil-Yong Kang, South Korean born molecular virologist who is focusing on developing a COVID-19 vaccine in Canada, has confirmed that his research team will initiate a human clinical trial of the vaccine in July.

In a recent email interview with Maeil Business Newspaper in Seoul, Dr. Kang said the Canadian government has been eager to support his research, adding that an initial research grant of 1 million Canadian dollars arrived after a recent call from the office of Innovation and Science Minister Navdeep Bains in Canada.

Dr. Kang is the first-generation researcher of molecular virology and became the first South Korean born to join in 1993 the Academy of Science of the Royal Society of Canada, a prestigious body that recognizes outstanding scholarly, scientific, and artistic achievement. He received the Ho-Am Prize 1999 for his contribution to the understanding of the mechanism of viral suppression.

“Many countries are racing to develop COVID-19 treatments, but it will not be easy because viruses can only multiply in living cells,” he said. This is why he has focused on developing a preventive vaccine.

He has completed the design of a COVID-19 vaccine based on ‘VSV vector’ technology together with Sumagen, a Seoul-based AIDS vaccine development company established in 2000 on Kang’s discoveries. He recently signed a research service contract with the International Vaccine Institute to enter an immunogenicity test in animals and demonstrated the efficacy of the vaccine candidate.

Shares of Curocom, which owns Sumagen, gained 4.22 percent to close Wednesday at 2,590 won on reports of Kang’s claims.

The technology developed by his team is a platform technology that can be commonly applied to various virus-caused infectious diseases and is known to have superiority in safety and efficacy.

Since the late 1980s, he has conducted research in viral-specific antiviral therapeutic agents and vaccines against various human viral diseases including AIDS, and founded Sumagen in 2000.

The investigational COVID-10 vaccine is expected to be completed by the end of June. The goal is to launch a human test and get significant outcomes as early as this year. The Canadian government set a budget of $1 billion to fund the fight against the virus, of which 250 million Canadian dollars will be allocated for vaccine development and basic medical research.

“I am working nearly 24/7 on this vaccine. I’ll be the first to try out the vaccine shot,” Dr. Kang said.

About 2,000 patients will be randomized one to one to the vaccine or placebo group to evaluate safety, immunity, and vaccine efficacy in three steps. The clinical trial will cost 50 to 60 million Canadian dollars, he estimated.

Regarding the COVID-19 spread in the world, he said, “I carefully predict that it will let up in two to three months. Fortunately, China has no more confirmed cases in three months after the nationwide outbreak.”

Dr. Kang carried out his postgraduate studies at McMaster University where he received a Ph.D. in virology. Dr. Kang went on to serve as a Professor of Virology in the Department of Microbiology at the University of Texas, Southwestern Medical School in Dallas, Texas, Professor and Chairman of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Ottawa, Faculty of Medicine, and Dean of Science at the University of Western Ontario.

Dr. Kang has received 19 prizes and published 302 peer reviewed research papers and abstracts. He holds 13 international biotechnology patents that cover 75 countries.

By Kim Si-gyun and Minu Kim

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