IISc's 'warm' Covid vaccine effective against all key variants: Study
"Our data shows that all formulations of Mynvax tested result in antibodies capable of consistent and effective neutralisation of the Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern," S S Vasan, CSIRO's Covid-19 project leader and co-author of the study said.
- Jul 16, 2021,
- Updated Jul 16, 2021 4:23 PM IST
A heat-tolerant Covid-19 vaccine formulation developed by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bengaluru in conjunction with biotech firm Mynvax has proven effective against all current SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern, according to a study in animals. The research, published in the ACS Infectious Diseases journal on Thursday, showed that the vaccine formulations triggered a strong immune response in mice.
The 'warm' vaccine was found to help produce antibodies that neutralise all current variants of the novel coronavirus, as per Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), which conducted animal tests for the Oxford-Covishield vaccine candidate last year. This will pave the way for clinical development of the vaccine, leading to human trials. The study was led by Prof Raghavan Varadarajan of IISc.
The researchers assessed vaccinated mice sera (blood samples) for efficacy against key coronavirus variants, including the Delta variant currently spreading globally. The formulation triggered a strong immune response in mice, protected hamsters from the virus, and remained stable at 37°C up to a month and at 100°C for up to 90 minutes, living up to its 'warm vaccine' tag, researchers said.
Most vaccines that are currently in use require refrigeration to remain effective. For example, the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, known as Covidshield in India, must be kept between 2 and 8°C while Pfizer requires specialised cold storage at -70°C.
According to SS Vasan, CSIRO's COVID-19 project leader and co-author of the study, the Mynvax-vaccinated mice sera show a strong response to all variants of the live virus. "Our data shows that all formulations of Mynvax tested result in antibodies capable of consistent and effective neutralisation of the Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern," he said.
The IISc-Mynvax vaccine has been designed by genetically engineering a domain of the S-Protein, called the receptor binding domain (RBD), of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, that allows the virus to connect with the host cell to infect it. The S-Protein of the virus is about 1,300 aminoacids long, but the vaccine focuses only on a string of 200 amino acids.
"A thermostable or 'warm vaccine' is critical for remote or resource-limited locations with extremely hot climates which lack reliable cold storage supply chains, including regional communities in Australia's outback and the Indo-Pacific region," CSIRO's Health and Biosecurity Director, Rob Grenfall said.
CSIRO's evaluation of the different Mynvax formulations will support selection of the most suitable candidate for planned human clinical trials in India later this year.
In addition to IISc and CSIRO, the study included researchers from the University of York in the UK, CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (CSIR-IGIB), New Delhi, Translational Health Science and Technology Institute, Faridabad, and CSIR-Institute of Microbial Technology, Chandigarh.
Also Read: Zydus Cadila’s COVID-19 vaccine for 12-18 year olds to be available soon: Centre
Also Read: COVID-19 vaccine: Single dose of Sputnik V elicits strong antibody response, says study
A heat-tolerant Covid-19 vaccine formulation developed by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bengaluru in conjunction with biotech firm Mynvax has proven effective against all current SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern, according to a study in animals. The research, published in the ACS Infectious Diseases journal on Thursday, showed that the vaccine formulations triggered a strong immune response in mice.
The 'warm' vaccine was found to help produce antibodies that neutralise all current variants of the novel coronavirus, as per Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), which conducted animal tests for the Oxford-Covishield vaccine candidate last year. This will pave the way for clinical development of the vaccine, leading to human trials. The study was led by Prof Raghavan Varadarajan of IISc.
The researchers assessed vaccinated mice sera (blood samples) for efficacy against key coronavirus variants, including the Delta variant currently spreading globally. The formulation triggered a strong immune response in mice, protected hamsters from the virus, and remained stable at 37°C up to a month and at 100°C for up to 90 minutes, living up to its 'warm vaccine' tag, researchers said.
Most vaccines that are currently in use require refrigeration to remain effective. For example, the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, known as Covidshield in India, must be kept between 2 and 8°C while Pfizer requires specialised cold storage at -70°C.
According to SS Vasan, CSIRO's COVID-19 project leader and co-author of the study, the Mynvax-vaccinated mice sera show a strong response to all variants of the live virus. "Our data shows that all formulations of Mynvax tested result in antibodies capable of consistent and effective neutralisation of the Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern," he said.
The IISc-Mynvax vaccine has been designed by genetically engineering a domain of the S-Protein, called the receptor binding domain (RBD), of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, that allows the virus to connect with the host cell to infect it. The S-Protein of the virus is about 1,300 aminoacids long, but the vaccine focuses only on a string of 200 amino acids.
"A thermostable or 'warm vaccine' is critical for remote or resource-limited locations with extremely hot climates which lack reliable cold storage supply chains, including regional communities in Australia's outback and the Indo-Pacific region," CSIRO's Health and Biosecurity Director, Rob Grenfall said.
CSIRO's evaluation of the different Mynvax formulations will support selection of the most suitable candidate for planned human clinical trials in India later this year.
In addition to IISc and CSIRO, the study included researchers from the University of York in the UK, CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (CSIR-IGIB), New Delhi, Translational Health Science and Technology Institute, Faridabad, and CSIR-Institute of Microbial Technology, Chandigarh.
Also Read: Zydus Cadila’s COVID-19 vaccine for 12-18 year olds to be available soon: Centre
Also Read: COVID-19 vaccine: Single dose of Sputnik V elicits strong antibody response, says study