The Tamil Nadu Dr. MGR Medical University has made recent news for its development of a vaccine candidate against SARS-CoV-2, better known as Covid-19. The grounds-breaking approach used in this development is known as ‘reverse vaccinology.’ This method looks at the genomic information with the support of computers to create vaccines without needing to culture microorganisms.
Understanding Reverse Vaccinology
Reverse vaccinology dives into the genome of an organism to identify potential antigens and epitopes that could become vaccine candidates. An antigen refers to a toxin or foreign substance that elicits an immune response within the body. On the other hand, an epitope embodies a portion of a foreign protein or antigen that can stimulate an immune response.
The technology of reverse vaccinology has made it possible to understand what molecules constitute the genomic sequence through an in-depth breakdown of the entire genomic sequence.
The Use of Reverse Vaccinology in Modern Medicine
Over the past decade or so, this technique has been used worldwide to develop vaccines for a variety of infections, including meningococcal and staphylococcal infections.
Meningococcal meningitis, a severe infection affecting the thin lining surrounding the brain and spinal cord, is caused by the Neisseria meningitidis bacteria. In contrast, staphylococcal infections originate from the staphylococcus bacteria commonly located on the skin or in the nasal passage of even healthy individuals.
The Advantages of Reverse Vaccinology
One of the significant advantages of using reverse vaccinology lies in its ability to identify candidate antigens, potential targets for vaccine preparation, in a short timeframe without the requirement to grow the pathogen.
This factor marks a significant shift from traditional methods used in the development of vaccines. Previously, creating a vaccine required the viral culture to be performed in a laboratory setting, which was both time-consuming and resource-intensive.
In reverse vaccinology, however, it is not necessary to cultivate the pathogen, making the process quicker and more efficient than traditional vaccine development techniques. By bypassing the need to grow pathogens, this approach has cut down on the time taken to discover the protein in the virus vital for vaccine creation.
The Impact of Reverse Vaccinology on Vaccine Development
The Tamil Nadu Dr. MGR Medical University’s recent development of a vaccine candidate against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) using reverse vaccinology signals the broad potential of this innovative technique in the context of global health crises.
This development is only the latest in a series of reverse vaccinology’s successful applications in disease prevention and control worldwide, demonstrating its promise for future use in vaccine creation against not only current but also emerging infectious diseases.
(h4)Sources Used(/h4)
This article based its content and information on resources and data from The Hindu.
