Indian scientists develop Hepatitis
C vaccine
Bengaluru: A group of Indian scientists
has developed a vaccine meant to treat Hepatitis C, a virus or infection that
causes liver disease and inflammation of the liver.
According to the report in Times of
India, the team from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, has
developed a vaccine for HCV genotype 3a.
The scientists said the vaccine has
shown promising results in preclinical studies and is customised for the Indian
population. It is said that several preclinical trials of virus-like particle
(VLP)-based vaccine strategies are in progress throughout the world.
But in the present study, Professor
Saumitra Das and his team generated gt3a hepatitis C virus-like particles
(HCV-LP). According to the scientists, the vaccine they have created is a
"molecular cocktail of virus-like particles that mimics HCV along with a
bio-engineered adenovirus vector (viral vectors are tools commonly used by
molecular biologists to deliver genetic material into cells), encoding the core
and envelope proteins of HCV".
The researchers then inserted those
genes of HCV into the adenovirus vector so that it would provoke the immune
system to produce neutralising antibodies against the hepatitis C virus, sates
the report.
The Hepatitis C virus is spread through
direct contact with infected blood. And among the many strains of the virus,
HCV genotype 3a (gt3a) is the predominant strain found in the Indian
sub-continent.
The discovery may come as a huge relief
to patients and the the country as a whole that has about 12 million people
suffering from chronic Hepatitis C.
The research, funded by the Indo-Australian Biotechnology
Fund (IABF), department of biotechnology, Government of India, has been
published in the journal 'Vaccine'.
Source: www.zeenews.india.com
24.02.2016
Optimism is
the faith that leads to achievement
Helen
Keller
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