India`s Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and Bharat Biotech International are looking at bringing the messenger RNA platform to India after seeing its successful use in the quick development of Covid-19 vaccines by US-based Pfizer and Moderna. CSIR Director-General Shekhar C Mande said, “Today, we don`t have any mRNA-based vaccine platform in the country and Dr. Krishna Ella of Bharat Biotech and we are already talking about how we actually bring it, and Dr. Ella is very confident that we can bring this particular platform in the coming few months,". CSIR has earlier developed the molecule TLR 7/8, which was used as an adjuvant for Hyderabad-based vaccine maker`s Covaxin. An adjuvant is a chemical that is added to the drug substance of a vaccine to boost the immune response provided by it. CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology will be looking at supplying lipid nanoparticles, which are used to stabilize the drug substance for mRNA vaccines, while Bharat Biotech will manufacture the vaccine. The announcement comes on a day when Bharat Biotech, Biovet, and Spigen Biologix signed a master collaboration agreement with CSIR-IICT. Under the agreement, the three companies will provide necessary financial support to CSIR-IICT for developing key raw materials required by the collaborators, and also perform in-vitro and in-vivo studies for further development of potential vaccine candidates and bio-therapeutics formulations to be designed by the collaborators. Animal vaccine manufacturer Biovet and biotech research firm Sapigen Biologix are both led by promoters of Bharat Biotech.
India`s Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and Bharat Biotech International are looking at bringing the messenger RNA platform to India after seeing its successful use in the quick development of Covid-19 vaccines by US-based Pfizer and Moderna. CSIR Director-General Shekhar C Mande said, “Today, we don`t have any mRNA-based vaccine platform in the country and Dr. Krishna Ella of Bharat Biotech and we are already talking about how we actually bring it, and Dr. Ella is very confident that we can bring this particular platform in the coming few months,". CSIR has earlier developed the molecule TLR 7/8, which was used as an adjuvant for Hyderabad-based vaccine maker`s Covaxin. An adjuvant is a chemical that is added to the drug substance of a vaccine to boost the immune response provided by it. CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology will be looking at supplying lipid nanoparticles, which are used to stabilize the drug substance for mRNA vaccines, while Bharat Biotech will manufacture the vaccine. The announcement comes on a day when Bharat Biotech, Biovet, and Spigen Biologix signed a master collaboration agreement with CSIR-IICT. Under the agreement, the three companies will provide necessary financial support to CSIR-IICT for developing key raw materials required by the collaborators, and also perform in-vitro and in-vivo studies for further development of potential vaccine candidates and bio-therapeutics formulations to be designed by the collaborators. Animal vaccine manufacturer Biovet and biotech research firm Sapigen Biologix are both led by promoters of Bharat Biotech.
