New York, Mar 16 (IANS): Biotechnology company Moderna announced that the first participants have been dosed in the Phase 1 study of mRNA-1283, the company's next generation Covid-19 vaccine candidate.

This Phase 1 dose-ranging study will assess the safety and immunogenicity of mRNA-1283, the company said in a statement.

"We are pleased to begin this Phase 1 study of our next generation COVID-19 vaccine candidate, mRNA-1283," said Stéphane Bancel, Chief Executive Officer of Moderna.

"Our investments in our mRNA platform have enabled us to develop this next generation vaccine candidate, which is a potential refrigerator-stable vaccine that could facilitate easier distribution and administration in a wider range of settings, including potentially for developing countries," Bancel added.

mRNA-1283 encodes for the portions of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein critical for neutralization, specifically the Receptor Binding Domain (RBD) and N-terminal Domain (NTD).

This Phase 1 study will evaluate three dose levels, 10 µg, 30 µg, and 100 µg, of the mRNA-1283 vaccine candidate given to healthy adults as a 2-dose series, 28 days apart, and one dose level, 100 µg, of mRNA-1283 given to healthy adults in a single dose, the company said.

These will be compared with a 2-dose series of 100 µg of mRNA-1273, the currently authorised dose level.

mRNA-1283 is intended to be evaluated in future studies for use as a booster dose for previously vaccinated or seropositive as well as in a primary series for seronegative individuals.