Is easy-to-produce and store DNA vaccines the future of vaccinology?

The world's first DNA vaccine has been approved, and it is easier to produce and store

In December 2020, the US FDA urgently approved the marketing of two mRNA new coronavirus vaccines

The mRNA vaccine has the advantages of high efficiency, safety, high production efficiency and low cost, and is considered to be the future development direction of vaccinology

We all know that according to the central law, mRNA is responsible for transmitting the genetic information stored in DNA and directing the synthesis of proteins in the cell

In fact, there are currently more than 10 new coronavirus DNA vaccines in clinical trials worldwide

The first DNA vaccine

A few days ago, India urgently approved and approved a new DNA coronavirus vaccine

This DNA Covid-19 vaccine is called ZyCoV-D and was developed by Zydus Cadila, India

The world is developing a new coronavirus DNA vaccine

Will DNA vaccines become the trend of the future?

Since the 1990s, both DNA vaccines and mRNA vaccines have been under development

Therefore, DNA vaccines have long been difficult to induce effective immune responses in clinical trials, which is why DNA vaccines were only approved as animal vaccines before

It is understood that the DNA used in the ZyCoV-D vaccine is a circular DNA chain, which encodes the new coronavirus spike protein (S protein) and a promoter sequence, which initiates gene expression

The Indian drug regulatory agency urgently approved the ZyCoV-D vaccine for people 12 years of age and older

The ZyCoV-D vaccine is of great significance as the first DNA vaccine, which shows that we have a new type of vaccine

DNA is easier to synthesize than mRNA, so it is easier to produce, lower cost, and DNA is more stable, so it is easier to store and transport

DNA vaccines are stable for more than 1 year at room temperature and can be stored for 5 years at standard refrigeration temperatures (2°C-8°C), while mRNA vaccines can only be stored for 5 days under standard refrigeration conditions

(Source: Internet, reference only)