A major advancement in COVID-19 immunization has been made public by the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) and its subsidiary, Indian Immunologicals Limited (IIL). IIL and Griffith University in Australia have produced a new live-attenuated needle-free intranasal booster vaccination against SARS-CoV-2, which was made public by NDDB on Wednesday. A new article in the prestigious scientific journal Nature Communications describes the novel method of codon deoptimization technology that was used to generate this vaccine.
Because the new vaccine is meant to be administered by the nose rather than the needle, immunization acceptance and accessibility may be enhanced. Extensive animal investigations have demonstrated both stability and safety, with encouraging results. This is especially important because COVID-19 still kills about 1,700 people worldwide per week.
The vaccine’s novel method was highlighted by Dr. Meenesh Shah, Chairman of NDDB and IIL, who also said that it marks a substantial advancement in public health. The vaccine is created from a weakened strain of the virus that elicits a strong immune response because it is live-attenuated. In order to provide long-term protection, a broad-spectrum neutralizing antibody response is known to be produced by live-attenuated vaccines, according to the announcement.
IIL Managing Director Dr. K Anand Kumar emphasized the novel nature of the codon deoptimization technology employed in this vaccine. By altering the genetic sequence of the virus, this approach lessens its capacity to spread disease while preserving its capacity to elicit an immune response. This technique provides a fresh approach to attenuate microorganisms for the creation of vaccines, which could result in more potent vaccinations against a range of infectious diseases.
For individuals who are at risk, the World Health Organization (WHO) continues to emphasize the significance of maintaining current immunization records, especially with regard to booster injections. Having a range of vaccine options—including needle-free and high-tech vaccines—can be essential to improving global immunization campaigns and public health resilience as the epidemic progresses.
All things considered, IIL and Griffith University’s invention of this intranasal booster vaccination is a noteworthy advancement in the fight against COVID-19, demonstrating a creative use of genetic engineering to improve vaccine accessibility and efficacy.
SOURCE :
TIMES OF INDIA
