GEMCOVAC­OM: India’s First mRNA Vaccine

Context: 

GEMCOVAC­OM, India’s first indigenous mRNA vaccine for the Omicron variant of the novel coronavirus, was approved under emergency use guidelines by the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI). 

• This comes a year after Pune­ based Gennova Biopharmaceuticals Ltd. got approval for GEMCOVAC­19 against COVID­19.

About the Vaccine:

• GEMCOVAC­OM was stable in a 2­8 degrees Celsius range and hence could be stored in ordinary refrigerators. 
• It could be administered into the skin via a needle free PharmaJet system.
• It has demonstrated robust immune responses in phase 3 clinical trials conducted at 20 centres across 13 cities in India.

What is mRNA vaccine?

• It is a new type of vaccine that uses a molecule called messenger RNA (mRNA) rather than part of an actual bacteria or virus. 
• Messenger RNA is a type of RNA that is necessary for protein production.  
• Once cells finish making a protein, they quickly break down the mRNA. 
• mRNA from vaccines does not enter the nucleus and does not alter DNA.

Working of mRNA Vaccine:

• mRNA vaccines work by introducing a piece of mRNA that corresponds to a viral protein, usually a small piece of a protein found on the virus’s outer membrane. 
• Individuals who get an mRNA vaccine are not exposed to the virus, nor can they become infected with the virus by the vaccine.
• By using this mRNA, cells can produce the viral protein. As part of a normal immune response, the immune system recognizes that the protein is foreign and produces specialised proteins called antibodies. 
• If a person is exposed to a virus after receiving mRNA vaccination for it, antibodies can quickly recognize it, attach to it, and mark it for destruction before it can cause serious illness.

News Source: The Hindu