CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) Atal Incubation Centre (AIC) is planning to go ahead with the next stage larger-scale trials of the indigenously developed mRNA vaccine technology for tackling Chikungunya.
“Chikungunya is a serious, major debilitating disease in India and it does not yet have a vaccine. We have already demonstrated the ability to make use of mRNA technology to develop vaccines with a ‘Proof of Concept’ (PoC) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our lab data trials show our Chikungunya vaccine works,” disclosed AIC-CCMB chief executive officer N. Madhusudhana Rao.
Results of lab experiments
The lab experiments conducted on animals showed that the vaccine candidate can produce antibodies against Chikungunya proteins. The next phase will be to infect the animals and check if the virus load has decreased upon injecting the developed vaccine, he explained.
The CEO said the institute had also completed initial trials into a potential mRNA vaccine to prevent tuberculosis (TB). But, to go into the next stage of animal trials and more elaborate testing, adequate funding is required, for which different options are being explored.
How vaccines work?
Vaccines work by preparing and training the immune system to identify disease-causing microorganisms and eliminate them quickly when the system encounters them. In mRNA technology, the host cell’s immune system is trained to evade the real infection by introducing mRNA of an important protein of the microorganism of concern into the host, said Mr. Rao.
Interestingly, though AIC had developed the PoC for mRNA technology in less than a year and had announced the same two years ago, it did not elicit much response from either the Indian industry or foreign collaborators.
“There were a few firms which evinced interest in making use of our mRNA technology for vaccine research. But they never came back with concrete proposals. It is an accepted fact that firms spend millions to take licenses from abroad rather than spend a few lakhs on local technology,” said Mr. Rao, a former senior scientist of the CSIR-CCMB.
Comirnaty (by Pfizer) or Spikevax (by Moderna) are based on mRNA technology for COVID and found to be extremely effective. The mRNA technology is considered chemically safe with no long-term challenges. The one developed in AIC-CCMB too is based on the existing mRNA vaccine model. It is as safe as the one approved by the US Food & Drug Administration Agency and had undergone a third party quality check, affirmed the CEO.
mRNA works much better on viruses and vaccines can be developed for other diseases faster. “It is unfortunate that there are few takers for our technology, though many are trying the same through different platforms. But we want to go ahead with our trials for the potential Chikungunya and TB vaccine candidates now with different partners,” added Mr. Rao.
Published – July 15, 2025 03:37 pm IST
