Working Towards A Miracle Vaccine

Harjinder Singh, INN/Chennai, @Harji_1999

The world is going through this epidemic crisis, to which there seems to be no vaccine up to this date. All Medical Universities, Hospitals, R&D Centres and every possible place is working on the sole purpose of finding a vaccine for this dreadful Corona. (Covid-19) The vaccine for Corona is much required and is the need of the hour.

All health officials and governing bodies have requested the people to stay quarantined, and the Government of India also has announced a series of lockdowns nationwide. 

The Government of India has implemented the lockdown, for the people not to gather to contain the spread of the virus. Staying close to one another is one of the primary cause of getting the infection because of the droplets that comes out when a person sneezes or cough or even talk closely to someone else’s face.

The steps given out by the Government like maintaining social distancing, using masks, gloves and PPE kits is mandatory for the prevention of getting infected.

On the other hand, the government and scientists are eyeing for a blood plasma therapy, but studies are still uncertain if this will be a success. Studies shows no proof it will work but however, it is said that this therapy is being experimented to sick patients and to people who are highly exposed to risk such us the health workers and some other frontliners.

And in a new study published by National Academy of Science, clinicians reported that convalescent plasma therapy improved the outcome of ten patients with severe cases of COVID-19. This can be an alternative step which could further be used by the R&D authorities for further more unseen circumstances aside from the BCG vaccines that is being injected to babies to be more resistant to any viral infections that may occur while growing.

This immunity believes that India has a less number of positive cases despite of its 1.3 billion population because of this vaccination that was introduced even before any epidemic became a pandemic.

Our Correspondent, has covered an exclusive with Dr. Sudha Seshaiyyan, Vice Chancellor of MGR University, Chennai who has given out a clear understanding on how this vaccine works using Bio Infomatics system that is used in Reverse Vaccine Methodology.

Dr.Sudha was  also briefed on the procedure to have an in-depth understanding. “Reverse Vaccinology is a new technique that is used these days. Prior to 10-15 years, developing a vaccine against any virus that involves a cumbersome procedure.

The virus had to be grown invitro (in the laboratory) and then its components will be analysed thoroughly to identify the antigens. The entire process may take about 10 to 15 years to develope a vaccine and culturing a virus in a laboratory is not a work of an ordinary mind but a work of an extraordinary brain and a body that knows no time.

However, we do not have to go through such tedious procedures these days. With IT inputs, we have newer disciplines like Bioinformatics and Immunoinformatics which help us go through the analysis of the virus in shorter time.

By the immunoinformatics system, we have a new technique called Reverse Vaccinology. Here, it is not necessary to culture the virus in vitro. It is enough if we have the genome map of the virus at the initial phase. The genome map is analysed and the antigenic components identified.

Then the antigenic component is developed into a vaccine candidate. Once the vaccine candidate is identified, and then that protein can be synthesized and further studies regarding safety, feasibility be done.

With Regards to plasma therapy….Once the virus infects an individual, he or she develops antibodies or immunoglobulins against the virus.

If this hyperimmune serum is taken from the person who has recovered from the disease, and infused into a patient, the antibodies will act against the virus in the recipient individual and save him / her. However, things are not as simple.

There are so many other factors that may favour or disfavour. That’s why only clinical trials have been permitted with regards to “plasma therapy”.

This indeed stands to be a very in-depth understanding on the procedure and techniques given out by Dr.Sudha, on the procedure of finding out a Vaccine for this threat on Mankind. We hope the Vaccine is been found out at the earliest.