Recently, India’s first indigenous mRNA vaccine for the Omicron variant, GEMCOVAC-OM was approved under emergency use guidelines by the Drug Controller General of India.
About GEMCOVAC –OM Vaccine:
- It was developed using the indigenous platform technology by Gennova Biopharmaceuticals Ltd. and supported under the Mission COVID Suraksha, implemented by Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC).
- It is a thermo-stable vaccine, which does not require ultra-cold chain infrastructure used for other approved mRNA-based vaccines, making it easy for deployment pan India.
- It is delivered intra-dermally using a needle-free injection device system.
- When administered intradermally in participants as a booster, it generated significantly higher immune responses.
- The clinical outcome demonstrates the need for variant-specific vaccines for desired immune response.
Key facts about BIRAC
- It is a not-for-profit Section 8, Schedule B, Public Sector Enterprise, set up by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Government of India,
- It is an Interface Agency to strengthen and empower emerging Biotech enterprises to undertake strategic research and innovation, addressing nationally relevant product development needs.
What is mRNA vaccine?
- It contains messenger RNA (mRNA), a single-stranded RNA molecule that complements DNA.
- It is created in the nucleus when DNA is transcribed by RNA polymerase to create pre-mRNA.