With India set to roll out the world’s first DNA vaccine against COVID-19, here’s how Zydus Cadila’s ZyCoV-D is different from the rest.
India is set to become the world’s first country to develop a DNA vaccine against COVID-19, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya informed the Parliament on Wednesday, July 21.
The DNA vaccine for COVID-19 is being pioneered by Ahmedabad-based Zydus Cadila and is known as ZyCoV-D. Like Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin, the ZyCoV-D is indigenously developed in India.
Earlier in July, the company had sought emergency use authorization. As per the preliminary results from ZyCoV-D’s Phase 3 trials, the vaccine shows 66.6 percent effectiveness. The trial involved 28,000 volunteers at 50 different sites across India. As per latest reports, the DNA vaccine could get approval and enter the market by August 2021.
What is a DNA vaccine?
ZyCoV-D is the first DNA-based vaccine which is effective against COVID-19 infections. No severe illness or fatality was documented in any of the volunteers during the clinical trials, as reported by The New York Times.
Zydus Cadila’s ZyCoV-D is a genetic or nucleic acid vaccine. Inside this umbrella are RNA vaccines, like the Pfizer and Moderna which are mRNA vaccines, and DNA vaccines.
Also called third-generation vaccines, DNA-based vaccines deploy a technique where engineered DNA is used to induce an immunologic response in the body against viruses, bacteria and parasites.
This insertion of a piece of genetic information of the virus makes cells in the body produce a key virus component. This component is recognized by the immune system which then creates antibodies against it.
How is it different from other COVID-19 vaccines?
While most COVID-19 vaccines in use are two-dose affairs (apart from Johnson & Johnson’s single shot vaccine), people will have to take three doses of Zydus Cadila’s ZyCoV-D to get fully vaccinated. It will reportedly be administered with an interval of 4 weeks between each dose.
Another aspect that makes the ZyCoV-D vaccine stand apart is that it uses a "needle-free system" of administration, also known as intradermal injection. As per the company, the needle-free administration also substantially decreases possibilities of side-effects. To know more about needle-free vaccines, read here.
Furthermore, unlike its counterpart mRNA vaccines which require storage at very cold temperatures, the company has said that ZyCoV-D needs storage temperatures of 2-8 degrees Celsius. Moreover, they have also stated that their DNA-based COVID-19 vaccine shows “good stability at temperatures of 25 degrees Celsius for at least three months", which will make storage and logistics less complex compared to the mRNA vaccines.
As per Zydus Cadila, it also offers “ease of manufacturing with minimal biosafety requirements”. The company also says that the ZyCoV-D vaccine will be easily adaptable in case of any future mutations of the virus.
ZyCoV-D has also been tested on and found safe for children between 12 and 18 years of age. Zydus Cadila plans to make 10-12 crore doses of ZyCoV-D vaccines annually.
While it may be the only DNA-based vaccine against COVID-19 set for authorization as of today, some other companies are also attempting to create one. This includes Japanese biotech firm AnGes, working in collaboration with Osaka University, as well as American company Inovio.
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 "DNA Explainer: What is Zydus Cadila's DNA vaccine? How is it different from other COVID-19 vaccines?")
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