Katalin Kariko, a senior president at BioNTech, and Dr. Drew Weissman, a professor in vaccine research at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine, shared this year’s Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award.

In retrospect, their 2005 breakthrough was apparent when Kariko and Weissman proudly published a surprising finding they had made about messenger RNA, also known as mRNA, which provides instructions to cells to make proteins. The Scientists noticed that when they added mRNA to cells, the cells instantly destroyed it. But they could prevent that destruction by slightly modifying in mRNA. When they added the altered mRNA to cells, it could briefly prompt cells to make any protein they chose.

But at the time, most scientists were uninterested in the technology, which was to become a keystone of mRNA vaccines, because they thought there were better ways to immunize.

Their paper, published in immunity in 2005 after multiple rejections by other journals, got little attention. The discovery seemed esoteric.

As per the revised rules, which will come into effect from October 4, Indian travelers who have received both doses of the Covishield vaccine manufactured by the Serum Institute of India (SII) will be considered unvaccinated and will have to undergo self-isolation for 10 days.

Questioned about the concerns in India over the new rules, a British High Commission spokesperson said the UK is committed to opening up international travel again “as soon as is practicable”.

“The UK is committed to opening up international travel again as soon as is practicable and this announcement is a further step to enable people to travel more freely again, in a safe and sustainable way, while protecting public health,” the spokesperson said.

“We are engaging with the Government of India to explore how we could expand the UK recognition of vaccine certification to people vaccinated by a relevant public health body in India.” the spokesperson added.

The license is a necessary condition for using Sputnik V produced by Panacea Biotech in India.

The batches produced at Panacea’s Biotec’s facilities at Baddi, Himachal Pradesh were earlier shipped to the Gamaleya Center in Russia for quality control.

The said batches have successfully passed all the checks for quality parameters both at the Gamaleya Center in Russia and at the Central Drug Laboratory, Kasauli, Himachal Pradesh in India.

“Panacea Biotec is delighted to announce the obtaining of the manufacturing license to produce Sputnik V vaccine in India. At this occasion, we thank the leadership of our Hon’ble Prime Minister Modi ji and Government of India for timely handholding and expending clearances to enable ‘Make in India’ vaccines,” said Dr. Rajesh Jain, Managing Director, for Panacea Biotec.

At 11.56 hrs, Panacea Biotech was quoting at Rs 399.10, up to Rs 21.70, or 5.75 per cent on the BSE.

The share touched at a 52 week high of Rs 453.70 and a 52 week low of Rs 171 on 28 May, 2021 and 04 November, 2020, respectively.

Currently, it is trading 12.03 percent below its 52 week high and 133.39 percent above its 22-week low.