TechInvention reveals positive outcomes of its indigenously developed recombinant subunit SARS-CoV-2 vaccine

TechInvention Lifecare Pvt. Ltd., a Biotech start-up company based out of Mumbai, India has revealed positive outcomes of its recombinant subunit SARS-CoV-2 vaccine (CoviTechTM) in a ‘single dose’ preliminary study.

Enthused with the promising preliminary results, the company is now advancing further development of the vaccine.

According to Syed S Ahmed, Founder Director & CEO, TechInvention Lifecare Pvt. Ltd, “As the pandemic continues to unleash mayhem globally, there is an urgent need to develop a safe, effective and low-cost vaccine for developing countries. CoviTechTM technology addresses several challenges in vaccine design by providing an affordable, safe and effective option for preventing SARS-CoV-2 infections in developing countries.”

Moreover, it neither requires high levels of Bio-containment for manufacturing nor dedicated manufacturing infrastructure thereby enabling ease of technology transfers and manufacturing in low and middle-income countries (LMIC).

CoviTechTM 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.

This 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 Ahmed.

He added, “We are in discussion with potential pharma companies interested in manufacturing affordable vaccines for developing countries. The company has been striving to enable access of ‘Essential Novel Vaccines’ and Biotherapeutics to developing countries. Supporting strategic capacity building initiatives for Novel vaccines and Biotherapeutics in developing countries has been a key focus at TechInvention.”

In the study involving twenty-four (24) ‘Sprague Dawley’ rats, safety was well-established across all the three single dose regimens tested after twenty one days. Further the study showed a two fold and a twenty 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.

“In CoviTechTM, 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. Products like the Hepatitis B vaccine manufactured using the same platform technology are being administered even to newborns with exceptional safety,” according to company sources.