An additional government funding has been received by India’s mRNA-based Covid-19 vaccine candidate-HGCO19 for its clinical studies. This funding has been awarded under the ‘Mission Covid Suraksha’.
About HGCO19
– HGCO19, the novel mRNA Vaccine candidate has been developed by Pune-based biotechnology company Gennova Biopharmaceuticals Ltd. in collaboration with HDT Biotech Corporation, USA.
– It has already demonstrated safety, immunogenicity, neutralization antibody activity in the rodent and non-human primate models.
– For Phase 1/2 clinical trials for its vaccine candidate HGCO19, Gennova has initiated the enrolment of volunteers.
– One of the advantage of mRNA vaccine is that they are considered safe due to non-infectious, non-integrating in nature, and degraded by standard cellular mechanisms.
– They are also highly efficacious and mRNA vaccines are fully synthetic.
Important takeaways for all competitive examinations
Mission Covid Suraksha is India’s targeted effort to enable the development of indigenous, affordable and accessible vaccines for the country. It is led by the Department of Biotechnology and implemented by a dedicated Mission Implementation Unit at Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC).