Page 46 - Poultry-Punch April 2020 edition

POULTRY PUNCH NEWS

IIT GUWAHATI COLLABORATES WITH HESTER

BIOSCIENCES LIMITED TO DEVELOP VACCINE

AGAINST COVID-19

COVID-19

„ GUWAHATI/AHMEDABAD The team at IIT Guwahati is headed by seed development up to release of the
Dr. Sachin Kumar, Associate Professor, commercial vaccine”
ndian Institute of Technology Department of Biosciences and He further added, “Hester has 23 years
Guwahati is collaborating with Hester Bioengineering. The team has generated of experience in vaccine manufacturing
IBiosciences Limited, a pharmaceutical the recombinant avian paramyxovirus-1 on the veterinary side. It manufactures
company based in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, to based vaccine flatform for Classical Swine vaccines by using fermentation, tissue
work on the vaccine development against Fever and Japanese encephalitis. The culture, continuous cell line and chick
COVID-19. The agreement between the role of the Institute is to produce the embryo origin methods. Hester is also
two parties was signed on 15th April 2020. recombinant vaccine candidate. currently working towards developing
The vaccine will be based on Speaking about the vaccine for next generation recombinant poultry
recombinant avian paramyxovirus based COVID-19, Dr. Sachin Kumar, Associate vaccines. Being in veterinary vaccine
vector platform. The recombinant avian Professor, Department of Biosciences and manufacturing, as well as working towards
paramyxovirus-1 will be used to express Bioengineering, IIT Guwahati said, “It is developing recombinant vaccines, Hester
the immunogenic protein of SARS-CoV-2. too early to comment on the efficacy and has a fairly good understanding and the
The recombinant avian paramyxovirus-1 immunogenicity of the vaccine, however, capability to get into human vaccines,
expressing the SARS-CoV-2 protein could we will be able to reveal more details specifically into a vaccine against the
be used as a vaccine candidate for further about this vaccine after the results of COVID-19 disease.”
study. animal studies are obtained.” IIT Guwahati and Hester Biosciences
The avian paramyxovirus-1 has been Speaking about the collaboration Limited expect the vaccine to be ready by
explored as a vaccine vector for various and role of Hester Biosciences Limited, the end of this year to start animal studies.
animals and human pathogens. The avian Mr. Rajiv Gandhi, CEO and MD, Hester The work is currently in its early stage of
paramyxovirus-1 has been used to express Biosciences Limited, said, “In the development.
the immunogenic protein of human current pandemic situation of COVID-19, Prof. T. G. Sitharam, Director, IIT
pathogens such as HIV, avian influenza the world is looking at developing Guwahati, is hopeful that the outcome
virus, human parainfluenza virus, SARS- preventive and curative measures to of this important collaboration will be a
CoV. Similarly, it has also been explored safeguard mankind. IITG & Hester have win-win situation for the country and will
as a vaccine vector for animal pathogens collaborated to develop and manufacture lead to breakthrough results in prevention
such as infectious bursal disease virus, a recombinant vaccine against COVID-19 of COVID-19 as well as provide leads
infectious laryngotracheitis virus, bovine disease as a preventive measure. Hester’s for vaccine developments against other
herpes virus, Nipah virus etc. involvement would be from master diseases as well in immediate future.

46 April, 2020