Moderna to test booster shot targeting South African variant

The company said it has shipped doses to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for a phase one clinical trial that will be led and funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

The variant, known as B.1.351, has been found in several states across the country and includes several mutations that experts fear will make it less susceptible to the vaccines currently on the market.

Once the Food and Drug Administration says human trials can proceed, the company said it will test whether the variant-specific vaccine can boost immunity.

While the original vaccine has been shown to have some neutralizing effect on the South African variant in a lab, Moderna said it is also pursuing additional boosters, and will test giving people a third dose, “out of an abundance of caution.”