Indian Immunologicals develops first-of-its kind needle-free COVID-19 intranasal vaccine

New Delhi: Indian Immunologicals Limited (IIL), a leading vaccine manufacturer, has announced live-attenuated needle free intra-nasal booster vaccine developed against SARS-CoV-2 using codon deoptimization technology in collaboration with Griffith University, Australia.

This groundbreaking work on Covid-19 vaccine has been published in the world’s leading science Journal ‘Nature Communications’ on 26th August 2024.

The danger due to COVID 19 is still not over. It is still killing around 1,700 people a week around the world. World Health Organization urge people at-risk to keep up with their vaccinations with boosters.

Among different formats of vaccines available, it is well known that live attenuated vaccine generates a robust and broad-spectrum neutralizing antibody response. IIL’s needle free intra-nasal booster vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 developed using codon deoptimization technology demonstrated remarkable stability and maintained safety in extensive animal studies.

Codon deoptimization involves decreasing the frequency of underrepresented codon pairs (genetic determinant for amino acids) without changing amino acid sequences. It is a highly efficient virus attenuation strategy that utilizes suboptimal codon pairs to achieve attenuation of recoded viruses. Virtually all the viruses can be attenuated by this method. Degree of attenuation can be regulated from 1-100% as required. It is extremely safe and less time-consuming than the conventional way of attenuating viruses which usually takes several years. Completely guided attenuation and the means are well known, and attenuated virus is expected to present all the antigens and mimics natural infection.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr K Anand Kumar, Managing Director, Indian Immunologicals Limited said, “This accomplishment signifies a major step forward in our battle against COVID-19. The development of this vaccine not only highlights our dedication to innovation in public health but also demonstrates IIL’s capability in adopting novel technology. We are enthusiastic about the codon de-optimization technology, and it’s use in targeted attenuation of microorganisms to be used as vaccine candidate”.

He mentioned that “Our pioneering intranasal vaccine is poised to revolutionize the fight against infectious diseases, and by facilitating non-invasive immunization, we aim to enhance vaccination rates, ultimately safeguarding more individuals and communities.”

Dr. Priyabrata Pattnaik, Deputy Managing Director, Indian Immunologicals Limited added “This is a perfect example of Industry-Academia collaboration translating concepts to products for the benefit of people at large. Our R&D team has dedicated immense effort to the creation of this innovative vaccine, and we take pride in its proven safety and efficacy in generating a protective immune response with just a single dose”.