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NEW DELHI: Based in Hyderabad vaccine manufacturer Bharat Biotech, who is working on the CoroFlu nasal vaccine against coronavirus In collaboration with American researchers, he is also leading a CSIR-approved project to develop human monoclonal antibodies as therapy for Covid-19 infection.
The project aims at an alternative therapeutic regimen by generating specific human monoclonal antibodies that are capable of neutralizing the SARS-CoV2 virus. Such antibodies can block the spread of infection by binding to the virus and rendering it ineffective.
The Scientific and Industrial Research Council (CSIR) has approved the project under its flagship New Millennium program Indian Technology Leadership Initiative. The National Center for Cellular Science (NCCS), Pune, IIT-Indore and a Gurgaon-based company, PredOmix Technologies, will also collaborate with Bharat Biotech on the project.
Although different Covid-19 vaccines are being developed worldwide, their commercial production will take a long time. Therefore, an alternative therapeutic regimen for early treatment is critical. Monoclonal antibody therapy is therefore a highly effective and safe method, according to a company statement.
Upon obtaining CSIR approval for the project, Bharat Biotech CMD Krishna Ella said: “The purpose of vaccination is to protect healthy people against future infections and by itself may not provide the complete solution. We believe that monoclonal antibody therapy will provide a viable option. ”
Speaking about the antibody approach to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic, the CMD said: “While Israel and the Netherlands have recently announced the development of virus neutralizing antibodies, our focus is to develop a powerful cocktail of neutralizing antibodies that they can also simultaneously block mutational variants of the virus. We are accelerating the development process to make the antibodies available in the next 6 months and thus improve the efficacy of the treatment. ”
Bharat Biotech has been working simultaneously on the CoroFlu nasal vaccine in collaboration with the University of WisconsinMadison. She had told TOI that the company “is hopeful that its Covid-19 nasal vaccine will hit the market in the next 12-18 months.” The company has so far developed 10 different viral vaccines.
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