Current Affairs January 2022

Australia claim Ashes series 4-0Australia defeated England by 146 runs in the fifth Ashes Test at Blundstone Arena on January 16, 2022. With this win, Australia defeated England in the five-match Ashes series to claim 4–0.

Pandit Birju Maharaj passed away

Legendary Kathak dancer Pandit Birju Maharaj passed away on January 17, 2022 due to a heart attack. He was 83 years old. Pandit Birju Maharaj's grandson Swarn Mishra confirmed the unfortunate news. Pandit Birju Maharaj was also a famous classical singer. He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan, India's second highest civilian award, in 1986.

PM Modi to deliver 'State of the World' special address at WEF today

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to deliver the 'State of the World' special address at the World Economic Forum (WEF) Davos agenda today, January 17, 2022. PM Modi will address the WEF via video conferencing at 8.30 pm. The virtual event will run from January 17-21.

US President Biden, Japanese PM to hold talks on January 21

US President Joe Biden is scheduled to meet Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida virtually on January 21, 2022. The two leaders are expected to discuss issues related to QUAD, a grouping that also includes India and Australia. The two leaders will seek to further deepen their ties and strengthen the US-Japan alliance.

Mammootty tests COVID-19 positive

Veteran Malayalam actor Mammootty has tested positive for COVID-19. The 70-year-old took to Twitter to share the name. He told that he has mild fever but otherwise he is fine. He is in self-isolation at home as per the instructions of the concerned officials. Mammootty is currently shooting for his upcoming film 'CBI 5'.

Lakshya Sen beat world champion to win India Open 2022

Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen won the men's singles final at the ongoing India Open 2022 at the KD Jadhav Stadium in New Delhi on January 16, 2022. Sen defeated Loh Keen Yew of Singapore, who is also the world champion, 22, 21-17, in the 24-finals in two straight sets. Lakshya Sen has won this title for the first time in his career. The 20-year-old said after his win that this is the biggest world tournament he has managed to win. Earlier, Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy won the India Open 2022 men's doubles final by defeating Indonesian pair of Hendra Setiawan and Mohammad Ahsan 21-16, 26-24 in straight games.

Genova submits phase 2 trial data of mRNA vaccine for DGCI approval

About Genova's mRNA Vaccine

The mRNA vaccine will use Covishield as a comparator in its Phase 3 trials, which is expected to expedite the testing process. Initial vaccines were tested against placebo in phase 3 trials.

The mRNA vaccine may be the first vaccine to be introduced in India specifically designed against the delta and omicron variants of COVID-19.

The vaccine has been developed by Genova in collaboration with US-based HDT Biotech Corporation.

Benefits of Vaccine

The Genova mRNA vaccine uses self-amplifying RNA which will allow more doses per batch to be produced.

The vaccine could be revamped to fight emerging forms of COVID-19. This feature is easily possible with the mRNA platform.

The vaccine can be stored at 2-8 °C, making its storage and distribution easier.

The mRNA vaccine may be the first vaccine to be introduced in India specifically designed against the delta and omicron variants of COVID-19.

Genova mRNA Vaccine: Pune-based pharmaceutical company Genova Biopharmaceuticals has submitted Phase 2 trial data of its mRNA COVID-19 vaccine for approval. The data is expected to be reviewed soon by the Subject Expert Committee (SEC) of the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI).

Genoa Biopharmaceuticals has also completed the recruitment of Phase 3 clinical trial data. The pharma company has also developed an mRNA vaccine for the Omicron variant of COVID-19, which will soon be tested for efficacy and immunogenicity on humans.

Genova Biopharmaceuticals is a subsidiary of Pune-based drug maker Emcure.

Genova mRNA Vaccine Trial

Genova last year began phase-2 and phase-3 clinical trials of its mRNA-based vaccine, HGCO19-K, at 35 centers in India.

The phase 2 study was conducted on 400 healthy subjects. The Phase III study will enroll 4000 healthy subjects who are 18 years and older and up to 80 years old.

The company increased recruitment in its Phase 2 and 3 trials and added more centers to enable it. The Phase III trial of the mRNA vaccine will be conducted at 22-24 sites across the country.

Phase 1 trial of Genova's mRNA vaccine begins during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time, the company faced challenges recruiting clinical trial participants because people were concerned about coming to hospitals.

The company also had exclusion criteria for seronegative volunteers who have not yet been exposed to the virus. The company was then conducting tests in only two centres, as a result of which they faced a lot of challenges and also took a long time to complete the tests.

Efficacy of the vaccine

Genova previously submitted interim phase-1 clinical trial data to CDSCO, where it was tested for safety and immunity. The company will also publish the data in a scientific journal.

Phase I trials of the vaccine involved 120 individuals in the age group of 18-70 years. Animal trials of the vaccine previously showed its "neutralizing antibody response," which was comparable with antibody levels measured in patients who had recovered from COVID-19.

Booster Dose

Genova is now looking at testing its mRNA vaccine as a booster dose for other vaccines and for use separately on children.

According to Samit Mehta, Emcure's chief operating officer and Genova's board director, "Global data supports MNRA vaccines as booster doses and pediatric use for that matter given their safety track record and immunogenicity."

Genoa has received Rs 125 crore from the Government of India as seed capital and trial. The government has also committed to receive at least 60 million vaccine doses from the company.

One of Emcure's plant in Pune was repurposed to manufacture mRNA COVID vaccine with a capacity to manufacture up to 200 million doses, which can be scaled up to 1 billion doses.

Current Affairs January 2022