In Russia, a new vaccine against coronavirus “Konvasel” was registered

The Ministry of Health of Russia has registered the vaccine against coronavirus “Konvasel”. The drug was developed by specialists of the Federal Medical and Biological Agency.

Earlier, the head of the FMBA, Veronika Skvortsova, reported that a vaccine for the prevention of COVID-19 based on the recombinant protein N (nucleocapsid protein) of the SARS-CoV-2 virus Konvasel was created at the St. Petersburg Research Institute of Vaccines and Serums.

Skvortsova called the development of a specific cellular immune response, the phenotype of central memory cells, as well as the development of an intracellular virus-neutralizing response, as the main mechanisms of action of the Konvasel vaccine. The action of the first generation vaccines is mainly aimed at the production of virus-neutralizing antibodies against S-protein epitopes. “At the same time, the accumulation of data on active mutation of the S-protein, including in the receptor domain, has raised the concern of the international expert community in terms of the subsequent effectiveness and even safety of these vaccines,” the head of the FMBA said, Interfax reports.

According to her, the experts decided that it is necessary to look for alternative options and create vaccines that cause the activity of different branches of immunity with potential projective actions.

N protein is the most immunogenic, that is, it causes a strong response of immune cells, both at the cellular and humoral (in the blood) levels, in the earliest stages of the coronavirus disease, Skvortsova said.

The FMBA vaccine is given in two doses three weeks apart.