IISc Bengaluru Based Startup – Mynvax Develops Heat Resistant COVID-19 Vaccine

Heat Tolerant COVID-19 vaccine developed by IISc incubated startup 

A COVID-19 vaccine that can be stored at 37º C has been developed by a startup incubated in the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru. This could be a game-changer for India, which does not have enough cold chain facilities.

Raghavan Varadarajan, a biophysicist, co-founder, and head of the startup Mynvax, said that all COVID-19 vaccine prospects presently in clinical trials require refrigerated temperatures of at least 4º C. However, this novel vaccine does not require such conditions. Any other vaccine candidate has not proved such equivalent data of temperature. The vaccine was kept under temperatures much higher than 37º C for a shorter duration, and it was fine.

Additionally, this heat-tolerant vaccine can withstand 70º C for around 16 hrs. In contrast, the front runner, AstraZeneca-Oxford’s Covishield vaccine, produced by Serum Institute of India, will have to be refrigerated at 2-8º C.

To put things in viewpoint, Karnataka has 2,900 cool chain points. Almost 10.52 lakh children approximately 16 years are vaccinated under routine immunization programs annually in addition to pregnant women.

However, with the COVID-19 vaccine, the state requires cool chain facilities to accommodate its whole estimated populace of

7.07 crores.

Varadarajan’s group has performed comprehensive animal testing in mice as well as guinea pigs with encouraging outcomes. Presently, challenge studies in hamsters are in progression, with the animal trials anticipated to be concluded by December. The last formulation will then be proceeded to further studies, including process development, animal safety, toxicity, and, ultimately, clinical trials.

Recently, Mynvax got some funding from the IISc however, the mass of the COVID-19 vaccine work done till now has actually been performed with the company’s own funds.

Varadarajan stated that, for administering the vaccine in human clinical trials, Rs 15 crore is needed. The vaccine can be certified by the middle of 2022 if everything goes well.

He claimed that they would progress it into clinical trials as soon as they can secure sufficient funds. As of now, they have not yet got the funds to carry out the study ahead, and the immunogenicity studies have been completed, which is used to see the types of antibodies produced.

Source

Heat Tolerant COVID-19 vaccine developed by IISc incubated startup