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Corbevax Covid-19 vaccine: What we know about it
NEW DELHI: Developed by Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development (TCHCVD) at Baylor College of Medicine, the Corbevax Covid-19 vaccine is being made by Hyderabad-based Biological E .
Corbevax is a ‘Recombinant protein subunit’, also known as a ‘receptorbinding domain’ (RBD) vaccine. It has a schedule of two doses administered via intramuscular injection 28 days apart. It can be stored in an ordinary refrigerator.
The vaccine is undergoing phase III trials and with phase I & II trials showing promising results, the Centre has pre-booked 30 crore doses for an advance payment of Rs 1,500 crore or Rs 50 per dose.
In the 1980s, scientists figured out how to combine DNA from two or more sources. This is called recombinant DNA technology. When a virus’s genetic code is inserted into a yeast cell, the yeast starts making virus proteins. Vaccine makers use this process to produce protein subunit vaccines.
RBD vaccine
The coronavirus uses its spikes to attach to human cells. Within a spike, a part called ‘receptor binding domain’ or RBD lets it dock with and infect cells. An RBD subunit vaccine like Corbevax contains only the virus’s RBD proteins. Different protein subunit vaccines may use different parts of the virus.
Advantages of Protein subunit vaccines
Disadvantages
4 main types of virus vaccines
Whole virus: Contains disease causing virus, whether weakened or killed. Eg. Covaxin
Viral vector: Contains unrelated virus that delivers genetic code to make specifi c parts of diseasecausing virus. Eg. Covishield
Protein subunit: Contains specific parts of disease-causing virus for immune system to recognise it. Eg. Corbevax
mRNA: Contains only genetic material with instructions for making specific parts of disease-causing virus. Eg. Pfizer vaccine
Corbevax is a ‘Recombinant protein subunit’, also known as a ‘receptorbinding domain’ (RBD) vaccine. It has a schedule of two doses administered via intramuscular injection 28 days apart. It can be stored in an ordinary refrigerator.
The vaccine is undergoing phase III trials and with phase I & II trials showing promising results, the Centre has pre-booked 30 crore doses for an advance payment of Rs 1,500 crore or Rs 50 per dose.
In the 1980s, scientists figured out how to combine DNA from two or more sources. This is called recombinant DNA technology. When a virus’s genetic code is inserted into a yeast cell, the yeast starts making virus proteins. Vaccine makers use this process to produce protein subunit vaccines.
RBD vaccine
The coronavirus uses its spikes to attach to human cells. Within a spike, a part called ‘receptor binding domain’ or RBD lets it dock with and infect cells. An RBD subunit vaccine like Corbevax contains only the virus’s RBD proteins. Different protein subunit vaccines may use different parts of the virus.
Advantages of Protein subunit vaccines
- Instead of the whole virus, they contain only the components that best stimulate the immune system.
- Including only some specifi c parts of a virus minimises side effects, and the vaccines are easier to make
- These vaccines are similarly effective as whole-cell vaccines but much less likely to cause adverse reactions,” says America’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
- As these vaccines cannot cause disease themselves, they are also suitable for people with compromised immune systems
- Another big advantage of using specifi c virus proteins is that these vaccines can be more stable than those containing whole viruses
Disadvantages
- Because the immune system is exposed to only a few virus parts, it may not respond strongly to the vaccine.
- Also, the resulting immunity may be limited to antibodies that wane with time.
- To overcome this weakness, protein subunit vaccines usually contain another substance, called adjuvant, to stimulate the immune system strongly. Corbevax uses the adjuvant. ‘CpG 1018’ made by US-based Dynavax
4 main types of virus vaccines
Whole virus: Contains disease causing virus, whether weakened or killed. Eg. Covaxin
Viral vector: Contains unrelated virus that delivers genetic code to make specifi c parts of diseasecausing virus. Eg. Covishield
Protein subunit: Contains specific parts of disease-causing virus for immune system to recognise it. Eg. Corbevax
mRNA: Contains only genetic material with instructions for making specific parts of disease-causing virus. Eg. Pfizer vaccine
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