The country's first indigenous mRNA vaccine candidate has received approval from Indian drug regulators to initiate Phase I/II human clinical trials. The mRNA vaccine candidate - HGCO19 - is being developed by Pune-based company Gennova, and is supported with seed grant under the Ind-CEPI mission, run by Department of Biotechnology of Ministry of Science and Technology.

"HGCO19 has already demonstrated safety, immunogenicity, neutralisation antibody activity in animals," Ministry of Science and Technology said on Friday. The antibody response generated by the vaccine in mice and non-human primates is comparable with the sera...
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from recovering COVID-19 patients.
Gennova's vaccine candidate uses the most prominent mutant of spike protein - D614G. It also uses the self-amplifying mRNA platform, which allows HGCO19 to have the advantage of a low dosing regime over traditional vaccines.

"HGCO19 uses the adsorption chemistry so that the mRNA is attached on the surface of the nano-lipid carrier to enhance the release kinetics of the mRNA within the cells compared to the encapsulation chemistry," the ministry added. The vaccine is stable between 2-8 degree Celsius for around two months. According to ministry, Gennova has finished all preliminary work and will initiate Phase I/II trials soon now that DCGI has given its nod.

According to the statement, the mRNA vaccines do not use the conventional model to generate an immune response. "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 recognised 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 ministry added.

The ministry has claimed that the mRNA vaccines are considered safe and are "expected to be highly efficacious".

The mRNA vaccines are fully synthetic and do not require a host for cultivation, hence they can be quickly manufactured in an inexpensive manner under cGMP conditions. The ministry has claimed that this will ensure the vaccine's "availability" and "accessibility" for mass vaccination on a maintainable basis.

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Positive News

The UN health chief declared Friday that positive results from coronavirus vaccine trials mean the world "can begin to dream about the end of the pandemic," but he said rich and powerful nations must not trample the poor and marginalised "in the stampede for vaccines."

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an address to the UN General Assembly's first high-level session on the pandemic, World Health Organisation Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus cautioned that while the virus can be stopped, "the path ahead remains treacherous."

The pandemic has shown humanity at "its best and worst," he said, pointing to "inspiring acts of compassion and self-sacrifice, breathtaking feats of science and innovation, and heartwarming demonstrations of solidarity, but also disturbing signs of self-interest, blame-shifting and divisions." Referring to the current upsurge in infections and deaths, Tedros said without naming any countries that "where science is drowned out by conspiracy theories, where solidarity is undermined by division, where sacrifice is substituted with self-interest, the virus thrives, the virus spreads."

He warned in a virtual address to the high-level meeting that a vaccine "will not address the vulnerabilities that lie at its root" -- poverty, hunger, inequality and climate change, which he said must be tackled once the pandemic ends.

Amid the rising coronavirus COVID-19 cases across the country, a new set of rules for “surveillance, containment, and caution” was released by Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) recently to curb the spread of the deadly virus. The new MHA guidelines will come into effect from Tuesday (December 1).


As per the new guidelines, the states and Union Territories have been given the...
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authority to impose local restrictions such as night curfew. The states, however, cannot enforce lockdown without consulting the central government. The MHA has also prohibited the states from sealing their borders.

The MHA has permitted all activities outside Containment Zones, except for the following, which have been permitted with certain restrictions:


- International air travel of passengers
- Cinema halls and theatres to operate with up to 50 per cent capacity.
- Swimming pools, only for the training of sportspersons.
- Exhibition halls to operate only for business to business (B2B) purposes.
- Social/ religious/ sports/ entertainment/ educational/ cultural/ religious gatherings, with up to a maximum of 50 per cent of the hall capacity. A cap of 200 persons in closed spaces.
- No restriction on Inter-State and intra-State movement.
- Persons above 65 years of age, persons with co-morbidities, pregnant women, and children below the age of 10 years, are advised to stay at home.