Vancouver biotech company getting worldwide attention for its role in helping develop a potential COVID-19 vaccine

A Vancouver biotech company is getting worldwide attention for its role in helping develop a potential COVID-19 vaccine that pharmaceutical giant Pfizer says the vaccine could be up to 90 per cent effective.

Vancouver's Acuitas Therapeutics developed lipid nanoparticles that act as the so-called delivery system for the vaccine, moving it through the body and into cells before the body breaks it down.

Pfizer's ongoing study involves more than 43-thousand participants from six countries and the vaccine requires two doses taken three weeks apart.

Canada has ordered 20 million doses and Ottawa is waiting for data from nine other possible vaccines in late-stage trials around the world.