 "Vials, Vaccine")
Gennova Biopharmaceuticals, a subsidiary of Pune-headquartered Emcure Pharmaceuticals, is not only developing India’s first indigenous messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) Covid-19 vaccine, but also plans to leverage the platform to develop vaccines for the Zika virus, herpes zoster (shingles), and tuberculosis (TB).
“The mRNA platform is disease-agnostic. We had started work on this a few years back when we collaborated with Seattle-based HDT Biotech Corporation for developing a therapeutic vaccine for cancer (human papillomavirus-induced cervical cancer in women),” said Samit Mehta, president and chief operating officer, Gennova. He added that the company planned to use the platform to make vaccines for the Zika virus, shingles, and TB.
“Vaccines and even medicines used to fight TB are not new. New research is the need of the hour and several government organisations are keen to use the mRNA technology (tech) to develop a TB vaccine. We feel there can be a multivalent approach taken to develop a TB vaccine candidate,” he said.
On the Covid-19 vaccine front, the company will submit the clinical trial protocol for Phase 2 and 3 studies to the drug regulator for approval. If things go as planned, the trials should end by the end of this year and the vaccine could be available in the market. The firm, which started with importing finished products (erythopoietin) and marketing them, has now developed several biologics product development platforms. It is also looking at developing monoclonal antibodies.
The health ministry had noted that it expected 60 million doses of Gennova’s mRNA Covid vaccine between August to December. While the Pune-based firm did not wish to offer a timeline, it indicated it is working towards meeting the commitment.
The mRNA vaccine candidate contains a short, synthetic version encoding the spike protein (antigen) of the novel coronavirus Sars-CoV-2. This interacts with the receptors of host cells. When the vaccine is injected into the body, the synthetic mRNA is taken to the muscle cells, where it instructs the cells to make numerous copies of the mRNA and copies of the antigen. This primes the body's immune system, which learns to identify the coronavirus and protect the body when attacked by the actual virus.
“The mRNA platform is disease-agnostic. We had started work on this a few years back when we collaborated with Seattle-based HDT Biotech Corporation for developing a therapeutic vaccine for cancer (human papillomavirus-induced cervical cancer in women),” said Samit Mehta, president and chief operating officer, Gennova. He added that the company planned to use the platform to make vaccines for the Zika virus, shingles, and TB.
“Vaccines and even medicines used to fight TB are not new. New research is the need of the hour and several government organisations are keen to use the mRNA technology (tech) to develop a TB vaccine. We feel there can be a multivalent approach taken to develop a TB vaccine candidate,” he said.
On the Covid-19 vaccine front, the company will submit the clinical trial protocol for Phase 2 and 3 studies to the drug regulator for approval. If things go as planned, the trials should end by the end of this year and the vaccine could be available in the market. The firm, which started with importing finished products (erythopoietin) and marketing them, has now developed several biologics product development platforms. It is also looking at developing monoclonal antibodies.
The health ministry had noted that it expected 60 million doses of Gennova’s mRNA Covid vaccine between August to December. While the Pune-based firm did not wish to offer a timeline, it indicated it is working towards meeting the commitment.
The mRNA vaccine candidate contains a short, synthetic version encoding the spike protein (antigen) of the novel coronavirus Sars-CoV-2. This interacts with the receptors of host cells. When the vaccine is injected into the body, the synthetic mRNA is taken to the muscle cells, where it instructs the cells to make numerous copies of the mRNA and copies of the antigen. This primes the body's immune system, which learns to identify the coronavirus and protect the body when attacked by the actual virus.
