6 months ago
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The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has invited Expressions of Interest (EoI) from eligible organisations, companies, and manufacturers for the improvement and accumulation of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against Nipah viral disease.
Nipah microorganism (NiV) has emerged arsenic a large zoonotic menace successful India, with repeated outbreaks recorded since 2001. Case fatality rates scope betwixt 40% and 75%, depending connected the level of objective attraction available. In India and Bangladesh, the circulating strain, the Bangladesh clade (NiV-B), is known for predominant person-to-person transmission and higher mortality.
Globally, probe and improvement efforts are advancing, but nary licensed vaccine oregon antiviral is presently available.
“The value of having monoclonal antibody stocks acceptable for deployment successful India cannot beryllium overstated. Given the precise precocious lawsuit fatality and lack of licensed vaccines, mAbs correspond the lone presently feasible biomedical countermeasure,” the ICMR said.
It added that monoclonal antibodies could besides service arsenic post-exposure prophylaxis for high-risk contacts specified arsenic healthcare workers exposed without capable protection, household members successful adjacent contact, oregon laboratory unit with accidental exposure. Administered early, they tin perchance forestall illness onset, arsenic demonstrated successful carnal models.
The Council further noted that successful patients presenting aboriginal during infection, monoclonal antibodies whitethorn connection therapeutic payment by reducing viral load and limiting illness progression, thereby complementing supportive captious care.
ICMR said this inaugural aims to physique India’s indigenous aesculapian countermeasures against Nipah virus, peculiarly monoclonal antibodies. “The intent is to instrumentality this guardant done progressive collaboration with Indian manufacture partners for processing an indigenous monoclonal antibody platform. Manufacturing the banal volition not lone guarantee timely and reliable entree during outbreaks but besides fortify nationalist preparedness for emerging viral threats,” it said.
The ICMR–National Institute of Virology (ICMR–NIV), Pune, has already initiated probe and improvement successful this direction, with experimental enactment astatine an precocious stage.
As per the latest order, ICMR and its institutes volition supply adept guidance and method enactment successful R&D for processing monoclonal antibodies against Nipah viral illness astatine each phases. “This method oversight by ICMR would accelerate the improvement of the merchandise and its commercialisation,” the Council said.
The archetypal recognised Nipah outbreak successful India occurred successful Siliguri, West Bengal, successful 2001, affecting astir 66 people, chiefly done hospital-based transmission. Another outbreak followed successful 2007 successful Nadia district. After a decade-long gap, the microorganism reappeared successful 2018 successful Kerala’s Kozhikode and Malappuram districts, resulting successful 23 confirmed oregon probable cases and a fatality complaint of astir 91%.
Since then, Kerala has reported aggregate episodes, a azygous lawsuit successful 2019 successful Ernakulam, a fatal lawsuit successful Kozhikode successful 2021, six confirmed cases with 2 deaths successful 2023 again successful Kozhikode, and caller spillovers successful 2024 successful Malappuram with nary secondary transmission. In 2025, 4 confirmed cases were reported betwixt April and July, including the first-ever cases successful Palakkad, 2 of whom succumbed to the infection.
“These repeated spillovers item the persistence of Nipah hazard successful South India, peculiarly successful Kerala, adjacent arsenic improved surveillance and accelerated containment measures person constricted large-scale transmission,” the ICMR noted.
Monoclonal antibodies synthesised successful the laboratory are designed to mimic earthy antibodies produced by the body, specifically targeting pathogenic proteins oregon antigens successful effect to corruption and neutralising them.
