It was at the beginning of November 2021, when Russia reported the creation of a new version of Sputnik V against the Covid-19. It was Sputnik M, a biological designed and redesigned to apply to adolescents between 12 and 17 years old.
The new Sputnik vaccine is produced with HEK 293 cells.
The Gamaleya Research Center, manufacturer of this inoculum, suggests that the administration of this formula is as effective against omicron as its original version. Therefore, it is in negotiations with various countries around the world for its commercialization. Which would make it one of the first vaccines to be administered in this sector of the population.
This vaccine, -registered for the first time in August 2021-, like Sputnik V, is made up of two doses of recombinant human adenovirus; rAd26 and rAd5. But in smaller quantities. Since the end of January this year, the antigen has been tested on young Muscovites, through 13 clinics around Moscow. The Ural Mountains and Siberia.
At the time the scientists adapted the original version of the biologic, beta was the dominant variant in the region. Therefore, it was planned to combat this lineage, seeking to strengthen the immune response of children and adolescents.
According to “Precision Vaccinations”, Gam-COVID-vac M, as it is also called, is produced with HEK 293 cells. Located in the kidneys of human embryos, since they are very easy to culture and lend themselves to. In addition, to the transfection process; when genetic material that does not belong to the human being is introduced cellularly.
Sputnik M: designed specifically for teenagers
This inoculum contains a lower dose than Sputnik V, 10¹¹ vp per 0.5 mL/dose for intramuscular injection. Well, it has been specifically designed for adolescents, who due to their young age, have a relatively new immune system. And budding development, so a higher dose could alter the natural evolution of this.
According to the Russian state institute Gamaleya, adenovirus-based vaccines have an advantage over those using messenger RNA (mRNA) methodology such as that of Pfizer and Moderna. Since adenovirus-based vectors make it easier and faster to create new vaccines by modifying the initial carrier vector with genetic material from new emerging viruses.
For this reason, it is easier to adapt them not only to the application of other population groups, but also to the probable emergence of variants of the disease, as has already been seen.
It has also been shown that Sputnik M is capable of effectively dealing with variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, as is the case with omicron and its subvariant, BA.2. The portal of the National Institutes of Health, of the United States, (NIH, for its acronym in English) has indicated that Sputnik V offers an effectiveness of 91.6%.
This result was based on the study of 19 thousand 866 participants. For this reason, Gamaleya suggests that the new version of the vaccine confers a positive response, since it only differs from the original in its dosage.
For its part, the Russian news portal ITAR-TASS said that the effectiveness of the Sputnik M vaccine, in youth, is 93%.
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