: New vistas in vaccinology emerging post-Covid (IANS Interview) #IndiaNEWS #National,Health/Medicine,SHOWCASE By Vishnu MakhijaniNew Delhi, July 23 (IANS) Vaccinology could undergo a paradigm shift

New vistas in vaccinology emerging post-Covid (IANS Interview) #IndiaNEWS #National ,Health/Medicine,SHOWCASE
By Vishnu MakhijaniNew Delhi, July 23 (IANS) Vaccinology could undergo a paradigm shift with new vistas emerging to aid the immune system in fighting new bombs ticking to erupt and guarding against infections for which fully effective measures do not exist, says a noted public health expert, noting that the concerted efforts of the government and industry have made India the worlds epicentre for vaccine manufacturing and meeting 62 per cent of the global demand.
With advancement in vaccine development platforms and nimbler and innovative technologies, new areas for use of vaccines for disease prevention and treatment are opening up. Two such new arenas are therapeutic vaccines and bridge vaccines, Sajjan Singh Yadav, an IAS officer who has a doctorate in public health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and is currently an Additional Secretary in the Finance Ministry, told IANS in an interview of his book Indias Vaccine Growth Story (SAGE/Select).
Therapeutic vaccines are used for treatment of an existing disease rather than as immunisation for protection against future diseases. They utilise a patients own immune system to fight the disease. In 2010, the US FDA had approved the first therapeutic vaccine, Provenge, for treatment of prostate cancer.
Vaccines to reverse vascular dysfunction of the heart, treatment of the wounds of diabetic patients, allergies, nicotine and drug addiction, and treatment of multiple sclerosis and other autoimmune diseases are being actively researched. It has been reported that the use of mRNA for gene therapy and to cure genetic diseases such as haemophilia and sickle-cell anaemia has also shown encouraging results, Yadav added.
Bridge vaccines are another class of emerging vaccines which will come in handy to decrease the rate of infection and transmission of infectious diseases till an effective vaccine is developed. These vaccines will stimulate body cells to generate nonspecific immune responses against a variety of pathogens. This will aid the immune system in fighting against infections for which a fully effective vaccine does not exist, Yadav said.
After conquering many dreaded diseases, vaccines had taken a backseat in public discourse. Covid-19 pandemic had, once again, demonstrated the critical role of vaccines. It pushed advancements in new vaccine platforms and delivery mechanisms. This will prove critical as the last century saw more than 300 new infectious diseases. So, many new bombs are ticking to erupt (and which need to be controlled), he added.
The book, which is sub-titled From Cowpox to Vaccine Maitri, notes that the concerted efforts of the government and industry have made India the worlds epicentre for vaccine manufacturing.

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