A team of scientists from the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, Ekiti State; Adeleke University, Ede, Osun State; Precious Cornerstone University, Ibadan, Oyo State; University of Ilorin, Kwara State; Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Oyo State, and the Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido-Ekiti, Ekiti State are on the verge of developing the first human vaccine trial. The trial is evaluating the efficacy of a subunit vaccine in fighting COVID-19.
The research team, led by Julius Okolie, a professor of Microbiology and Biotechnology and vice-chancellor of Precious Cornerstone University, a private university in Ibadan, just concluded its animal trial after approval from the Oyo State Ministry of Health. The research effort has been endorsed by the World Health Organization, which has listed it as number 61 out of 185 vaccine candidates worldwide.
The lead researcher for the study is Kolawole Oladipo, who holds a doctorate in medical virology, immunology, and bioinformatics, and is also the head of the Department of Microbiology at Adeleke University.
