Regarding the posted article “Hepatitis E vaccine debuts: Success of Chinese bio
ID: 3166880 • Letter: R
Question
Regarding the posted article “Hepatitis E vaccine debuts: Success of Chinese biotech partnership raises hopes for prevention of overlooked diseases” (Nature 10/29/2012):
1A (20 points) The workers made a recombinant subunit vaccine in E. coli host cells. Hepatitis E virus is a non-enveloped virus that contains an RNA genome and icosahedral capsid. Describe a stepwise process that could be used to develop and produce the vaccine. You have purified hepatitis E virus genomic RNA as starting material.
1B (20 points) What ethical concerns are faced by pharmaceutical companies that develop vaccines?
1C (20 points) Consider the potential to develop a nucleic acid-based therapeutic agent to combat hepatitis E infection. Select one of the methods that we discussed and describe in conceptual detail how you would develop the product and how it would work. (Note: I will not read past your first suggestion!).
Explanation / Answer
1A. Chinese have discovered "Hecolin" vaccine against the hepatitis E. The steps include:
1. Purified hepatitis E virus genomic RNA.
2. Next step is to isolate an antigen from the isolated purified virus.
3. In next step, antigen will be purified so that, we can get high purity antigen. This task is accomplished using techniques of protein purification.
4. The addition of adjuvant is done enhances the immune system of recipient to supply antigen.
5. Further, vaccines undergo clinical trials first in animal and then in human.
6. At,last vaccines are added with stabilizers, for longer use.
1.b Ethical corcern faced by pharmaceutical companies are socio-economic issue, in the condition where vaccine number is limited, who should be protected and who should be avoided is ready to decide, global health disparity.
1.c Many of the nucleic acid based therapeutics are in clinical trials. In this type, nucleic acid strand whether is DNA , RNA which is complementary to the target nucleic acid can bind with the virus and inactivate positive sense RNA.