At the 2nd edition of the India Vaccine Leaders Conclave (IVLC), Dr N K Arora, Co-Chair, Covid Vaccine Candidate Advisory Committee, Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and Executive Director, INCLEN Trust, stated, "The last three years have clearly shown that the government is ready to invest catalytic funds for R&D for vaccine development. It has supported all vaccine candidate platforms in the country like mRNA, DNA, inactivated and protein sub-unit, among others, and is ready to provide support for R&D provided both the leadership from the industry and academia collaborate in an effective way".

The two-day conclave commenced on August 22  under the theme 'Building Resilient Vaccine Ecosystems' in Mumbai.

Highlighting the need for continuous global disease surveillance, he added that collaboration between industry and academia at national and international level is required to address the current challenges in the form of diseases like malaria, TB, dengue and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

The event, which brought together leading experts from around the world, was aimed at showcasing how vaccination plays a crucial role in improving global health throughout all stages of life. The event featured keynote sessions, plenary talks and poster presentations and provided an excellent platform for networking opportunities with industry peers. The event was organised by BlueTech Media. Ashish Chauhan, Director, BlueTech Media, conducted the proceedings during the event.

It was recommended that in order to implement life course vaccination, developing and drafting a road map or the policy and strategy should be initiated with private-public sector intervention.There is a need to ensure vaccine security and be future-ready for adult vaccination. Initiatives should be taken to educate public healthcare providers and members of professional associations and medical bodies for advocacy about currently available vaccines for adult age groups. This can help people to make an informed choice and healthcare providers to share information with citizens.

A panel discussion was hosted on exploring global partnership in vaccine development which was moderated by Dr Kavita Singh , MD, South Asia Drugs for Neglected Disease Initiative (Advisory Board). Panelists included Dr Raj K Shirumalla, Mission Director, National Biopharma Mission BIRAC; Nitin Jain Sr General Manager & Divisional Head Zydus Life Sciences; Dr Ramesh Matur Sr VP, R&D, Biological E Limited; Dr Ashish Sahai, Additional Director, Serum Institute of India and Dr Tathagata Mukherjee, General Manager, Gennova Biopharmaceuticals.

There was a presentation on Aseptic Operations in Vaccine Manufacturing by Dr Ashish Sahai, Additional Director, Serum Institute of India (SII), a presentation on Considerations for Single use Bioreactors in Vaccine Manufacturing by Manish Pathani,  Application Specialist, Cytiva and a presentation on Journey of India’s First mRNA Platform by Dr Ajay Singh, Head, mRNA, Gennova Biopharmaceuticals and a presentation on Vaccine Landscape in India and Role of Life Course Immunisation in reducing vaccine-preventable disease by Nitin Jain, Senior General Manager, Zydus Life Sciences.

•  Bhagwati Prasad