Heat-Tolerant Covid-19 Vaccine by IISc

• 15 Jan 2024

Source: TH

Why in News?

A heat-tolerant vaccine developed by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) researchers is said to be effective against all current strains of SARS-CoV-2 besides having the potential to be quickly adapted for future variants as well.

What are the Key Points Related to the Vaccine Developed by IISc?

• Background: According to IISc, while current vaccines are proven to be effective against most SARS-CoV-2 strains, their efficacy has declined due to rapid mutation by the virus.
• Antigen Selection: After analyzing various proteins found in the virus, the researchers selected two parts of SARS-CoV-2’s spike protein, the S2 subunit and the Receptor Binding Domain (RBD) for designing their vaccine candidate.
  • The S2 subunit is highly conserved. It mutates much less than the S1 subunit, which is the target of most current vaccines and the RBD can provoke a robust immune response.
  • A hybrid protein, RS2, was created by combining the selected components.
  • The researchers then tested the effects of the protein in both mice and hamster models. They found that the hybrid protein triggered a strong immune response.

Note

A receptor-binding domain is a key part of a virus located on its 'spike' domain that allows it to dock to body receptors to gain entry into cells and lead to infection.

• The spike (S) protein of SARS-CoV-2, which plays a key role in the receptor recognition and cell membrane fusion process, is composed of two subunits, S1 and S2.

• Characteristics of RS2 Antigen:
  • Adaptability to Variants: The RS2 antigen can be customized to incorporate the RBD region of any new SARS-CoV-2 variant including XBB.1.5 and JN.1 variants.
    • This adaptability addresses concerns related to the virus's rapid mutation.
  • Storage and Distribution: RS2 antigen can be stored at room temperature for a month without requiring cold storage.
  • Economic Advantage: Reduced production and distribution costs make it economically viable.

UPSC Civil Services Examination, Previous Year Questions (PYQs)

Q. In the context of vaccines manufactured to prevent COVID-19 pandemic, consider the following statements: (2022)

1. The Serum Institute of India produced COVID-19 vaccine named Covishield using mRNA platform.
2. Sputnik V vaccine is manufactured using vector-based platform.
3. COVAXIN is an inactivated pathogen-based vaccine.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only 
(b) 2 and 3 only 
(c) 1 and 3 only 
(d) 1, 2 and 3

Ans: (b)