India approves world’s first DNA vaccine against coronavirus

The drug regulator of India approved first DNA vaccine of the world against coronavirus for emergency use. it’s about the ZyCoV-D, of three doses, which prevented symptomatic disease in 66% of those inoculated, according to a study by the manufacturer Cadila Health.

The company has assured in international media that it plans to manufacture up to 120 million doses of the second local vaccine of India per year and explained that if the DNA sera the previous ones worked in animals, they hadn’t done it in humans.

So far India has administered over 570 million doses of Covishield, Covaxin and Sputnik V. 13% of adults have been vaccinated with the full regimen and 47% have received at least one vaccine since the campaign began in January.

Agree with Cadila Health, the DNA vaccine it has been tested on 28,000 volunteers and has been shown to be effective. Meanwhile, the third phase of clinical trials was carried out at the height of the second deadly hello from the virus. The manufacturer believes that this reaffirms its “effectiveness against mutant strains“, In particular the Delta variant, highly infectious and transmissible.

How does this DNA vaccine work

According to scientists, DNA and the RNA they are the basic building blocks of life. These are molecules that carry Genetic information that is passed from parents to children. Like other vaccines, a DNA vaccine, once administered, teaches the immunological system of the body to fight the real virus.

ZyCoV-D, they said of the lab, “uses plasmids or small DNA rings They contain genetic information to apply the pinprick between two layers of the skin. Plasmids carry information into cells to produce the protein Peak, which the virus uses to adhere to and enter human cells ”.

However, most vaccines, especially those from MRNA, instruct the body to produce a fragment of the spike protein so that it can activate the immunological system of a person, so that it generates antibodies and teaches their body to fight the virus.

Now, Why is this vaccine different? It’s the first DNA vaccine Human against SARS-CoV-2. In the United States, this type of serum is tested in human clinical trials. It is also used to treat certain types of Cancer and him too HIV.

“Unlike the others, this vaccine is applied with a needle-less injector disposable. It uses a narrow stream of liquid to penetrate the skin and apply the puncture to the appropriate tissue, ”its creators said.

In this direction, Gagandeep Kang, virologist and fellow of the Royal Society of London, said: “If it offers good protection, that’s something India will be proud of. “

Among its advantages, figure that they are “Cheap, safe and stable”, according to scientists. In addition, they can be stored at higher temperatures than others, between 2º and 8 ° C. According to Cadila Health, their vaccine demonstrated “good stability at 25 ° C for at least three months ”, which facilitates its conservation and dissemination.

However, many scientists do not trust these vaccines. In regards to, Kang argued: “The problem is that works well in animals, but they don’t end up offering the same Level of protection of the immune response in humans ”.

Jeremy Kamil, a virologist at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in Shreveport, said: plasmid DNA vaccines have been tested in the past. It is known that it is very difficult to introduce plasmid DNA into the nucleus of human cells, especially in adults ”.

The biggest disadvantages of ZyCoV-D is that requires three doses and, in addition, it must reach the nucleus of the cell to be effective and provide protection against the coronavirus, which does not happen with mRNA sera, such as Pfizer O Modern.