The DNA Vaccine

• Vaid's ICS, Lucknow
• 02, Oct 2021

Why in News:

• The experts have recently said that DNA vaccine technique can be applied in making of cancer related vaccine.

What is DNA vaccine?

A type of vaccine that transfects a specific antigen DNA-coding sequence onto the cells of an immunized species is known as DNA Vaccine.

They are also known as third-generation vaccines

• DNA vaccine has a theoretical advantage in comparison to the other conventional vaccines
• These vaccines are yet not completely appropriate for human use and can only be used for animal species
• These vaccines contain DNA that codes for specific proteins (antigens) from a pathogen.

Advantages of DNA Vaccine”

• The immune response focused on the antigen of interest
• Cost-effective
• Less risk for infection
• Antigen presentation by MHC class I and class II molecules
• Long-term persistence of immunogen

Limitations of DNA Vaccine:

• Risk of affecting genes controlling cell growth
• Possibility of tolerance to the antigen
• Potential for atypical processing of bacterial and parasite proteins
• Limited to protein immunogens

Facts for Prelims:

 Scrub Typhus:

• Also known as bush typhus, scrub typhus is a disease caused by bacteria called ‘Orientia tstsugamushi‘, which was formerly ‘Rickettsia’.
• It typically spread to people through the bites of infected chiggers or larval mites.

6-APA

6-APA is an abbreviation used for the name of the chemical compound-6-aminopenicillanic acid. In 1958, Beecham scientists from Brockham Park, Surrey, found a way to obtain 6-APA from penicillin. Other β-lactam antibiotics could then be synthesized by attaching various side-chains to the nucleus.