IAS Gyan

Daily News Analysis

mRNA Vaccine

29th June, 2022 Science and Technology

Disclaimer: Copyright infringement not intended.

Context

  • The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) on Tuesday approved India's first indigenously developed mRNA vaccine against COVID-19manufactured by Gennova Biopharmaceuticals for restricted emergency use for those aged 18 years and above.

 

mRNA vaccines

  • The mRNA vaccines do not use the conventional model to produce immune response.
  • Instead, mRNA vaccine carries the molecular instructions to make the protein in the body through a synthetic RNA of the virus.
  • The host body uses this to produce the viral protein that is recognized and thereby making the body mount an immune response against the disease.
  • mRNA-based vaccines are scientifically the ideal choice to address a pandemic because of their rapid developmental timeline.
  • The mRNA vaccine is considered safe as is non-infectious, non-integrating in nature, and degraded by standard cellular mechanisms.
  • They are expected to be highly efficacious because of their inherent capability of being translatable into the protein structure inside the cell cytoplasm.
  • Additionally, mRNA vaccines are fully synthetic and do not require a host for growth, e.g., eggs or bacteria. Therefore, they can be quickly manufactured in an inexpensive manner under cGMP conditions to ensure their "availability" and "accessibility" for mass vaccination on a sustainable basis.

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/dcgi-nod-restricted-emergency-use-indigenous-mrna-covid-jab-18-years-above/article65577382.ece