The company is also exploring another vaccine candidate targeting the conserved and immunogenic regions of the virus
TechInvention Lifecare, a biotech start-up company based out of Mumbai, has claimed positive outcomes of its recombinant subunit SARS-CoV-2 vaccine (CoviTech) in a ‘single dose’ preliminary study. In the study involving 24 ‘Sprague Dawley’ rats, safety was well-established across all three single-dose regimens tested after 21 days. Further, the study showed a two-fold and a 20-fold increase in the IgG titre value (compared to adjuvant control) at a dose of 50 mcg/0.5ml and 75 mcg/0.5ml, respectively. Enthused with the promising preliminary results, the company is now advancing further development of the vaccine.
In CoviTech, the antigen is expressed in yeast Pichia pastoris, one of the most desirable expression platforms in recombinant technology to produce cost-effective products with high yield and easy scale-up process. While CoviTech is being positioned as an affordable, effective and safe vaccine for the masses, the company is also exploring another vaccine candidate targeting the conserved and immunogenic regions of the virus. The vaccine may have the potential to address the burning issue of mutations, especially the ‘Variants of Concern’ (VOC) which has been hammering countries through subsequent waves of infection.
“We are thankful to the leadership of BSC BioNEST Bio-Incubator at the Regional Centre for Biotechnology, Faridabad, India for providing us with the required state-of-the-art research infrastructure for the development of our vaccine through Incubation,” said Syed S Ahmed, Founder, Director & CEO, TechInvention. He further added, “We are in discussion with potential pharma companies interested in manufacturing affordable vaccines for developing countries.”
