Seoul National University Hospital (SNUH) said that it has administered the first dose of INO-4800, Inovio's Covid-19 vaccine, to a patient in his 40s.

A doctor administers the first dose of Inovio's Covid-19 vaccine to a patient in his 40s at Seoul National University Hospital, on Wednesday.

"As the development of vaccines and treatments progresses worldwide, the hospital expects that Korea's step-by-step response to infectious diseases will draw international attention once again with this trial," the hospital said.

The administration's start comes after SNUH and Seoul National University Bundang Hospital (SNUBH) signed a contract for clinical trials with the International Vaccine Institute (IVI) on June 4. SNUBH plans to administer its first dose on Thursday.

The hospitals plan to divide the research into two phases. They will start by enrolling 40 healthy adults aged 19-50 and expand the test to include an additional 120 people aged 19-64. After vaccination, the hospitals plan to evaluate the immunogenicity, including antibody formation and the treatment's safety for one year.

"By participating in international studies evaluating Covid-19 DNA vaccines, the hospital expects that it will contribute to the development of safer and more effective vaccines," Professor Kim Eui-seok at SNUBH said. "We will do our best in all stages of the research to overcome the global outbreak of the Covid-19 through the commercialization of a vaccine."

Professor Choi Pyoung-kyun at SNUH asked citizens to participate in the trial actively. "For the development of vaccines, active participation of healthy volunteers is important," Choi said. "There is a need for continuous attention to ongoing clinical trials of Covid-19 vaccines in Korea."

Anyone wanting to participate in the trial can visit SNUH's clinical trial volunteer recruitment site (https://ctcr.snuh.org/kr/main), the hospital said.

Copyright © KBR Unauthorized reproduction, redistribution prohibited