IAS Gyan

Daily News Analysis

CORBEVAX  

4th September, 2021 Science and Technology

 

Disclaimer: No Copyright infringement intended.

 

In News

  • Corbevax, is a recombinant protein subunit vaccine, showed promising outcomes. It's made up of a specific component of the SARS-CoV-2 virus's surface spike protein. Essentially, the spike protein permits the virus to penetrate the body's cells, where it can proliferate and cause sickness, triggering an immune reaction against the spike protein that was injected.

 

Types of Vaccine Platforms

  • There are two categories of Vaccines: Component Viral Vaccines and Whole Virus Vaccines.

 

Component Viral Vaccines

  • Protein Subunit: Contains isolated and purified viral proteins
  • Virus-like Particles (VLP): Contains viral proteins that mimic the structure of the virus, but no genetic material
  • DNA-basedand RNA-based: Contains viral genetic material (such as mRNA) which provides the instructions for making viral proteins
  • Non-Replicated Viral Vector: Contains viral genetic material packaged inside another harmless virus that cannotcopy itself
  • Replicating Viral Vector: Contains viral genetic material packaged inside another harmless virus that cancopy itself

 

Whole Virus Vaccines

  • Inactivated: Contains copies of the virus that have been killed (inactivated)
  • Live-Attenuated: Contains copies of the virus that have been weakened (attenuated)

About DBT

  • The Department of Biotechnology (DBT), under the Ministry of Science & Technology, promotes and accelerates the development of biotechnology in India, including growth and application of biotechnology in the areas of agriculture, healthcare, animal sciences, environment and industry.

 

About BIRAC

  • Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) is a not-for-profit Section 8, Schedule B, Public Sector Enterprise, set up by Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Government of India as an Interface Agency to strengthen and empower the emerging Biotech enterprise to undertake strategic research and innovation, addressing nationally relevant product development needs.

 

https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1751664