A possible Covid-19 Vaccine candidate is Developed by an IISc Professor and Associates

A professor at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and his associates have created a synthetic antigen that is able to be produced as a possible Covid-19 vaccine candidate. Raghavan Varadarajan, a professor at the Molecular Biophysics Unit (MBU), IISc, and associates have been working on creating a heat-tolerant vaccine that can provide protection against many strains of SARS-CoV-2, including present and future variations, since the start of the Covid-19 epidemic.

According to a press statement from the university here on Wednesday, January 10, the scientists demonstrate in a research published in "npj Vaccines" that their vaccine candidate is effective against all strains of SARS-CoV-2 that are now in circulation and can be swiftly modified for future variations as well.

Varadarajan explained that his team began working on the vaccine even before the effects of the pandemic became widespread in India. "At that time, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation provided us with funding and support," he added. Since 2000, Varadarajan's team has been working on designing several viral vaccines, including those against AIDS and influenza.

According to the statement, they worked with the firm Mynvax, which was previously housed at IISc, to build their current RS2-based Covid-19 vaccine candidate. The researchers claims that the vaccine candidate may be modified to include the RBD region of any future SARS-CoV-2 variation that may appear. It is an excellent choice for fighting COVID-19 because of its high expression levels and stability at room temperature, which can significantly lower production and distribution costs.