The Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, CCMB has established stable cultures of Corona virus from patients’ samples.
Virologists at CCMB have isolated infectious viruses from several isolates.
The ability to culture the virus in lab enables the scientists to work towards vaccine development and testing of potential drugs to fight COVID-19.
CCMB Director Dr. Rakesh Mishra said, CCMB is now in a position to isolate and maintain viral strains from different regions and we are working towards producing viruses in huge quantities that can be inactivated and used in vaccine development and antibody production for therapeutic purposes.
CCMB has also started testing potential drugs with other partners such as the Defence Research Development Organization, DRDO using this viral culture.
Mr. Mishra expressed hope that such system will be replicated at multiple research institutes and private companies to become a useful resource in the fight against this pandemic as well as for future preparedness.
Scientists said that if we culture a large amount of the virus and inactivate them then it can be used as inactivated virus vaccine.
Once inactivated virus is injected into the body, the human immune system triggers the production of germ-specific antibodies.
The inactivated virus can trigger antibody response, but does not infect and make us sick as they cannot reproduce.
Scientists also said that for the development of antibodies or anti-dots, virus cultures are important as inactivated viruses can trigger antibody response in other mammalian hosts in addition to humans.
The antibodies can be used as therapeutic intervention for patients suffering from the infection.
Discussion about this post