Sputnik V developed by Gamaleya Research Institute said that the vaccine is effective against the Omicron. According to the data released by the government, Sputnik V performed three to seven times better than other candidates, including those developed using mRNA technology.
Gamaleya Centre said in a release that, “Sputnik V is showing the best virus neutralization results against Omicron in comparison with other vaccines.” It further stated that the vaccine shows strong and long-lasting T-cell response, and as 80% of epitopes in the spike protein are not affected by the mutations in the Omicron variant, Sputnik V is expected to provide long-lasting prcotection against severe disease by Omicron.
“100% of individuals revaccinated with Sputnik Light as a booster developed neutralizing antibodies against Omicron and demonstrated their high level 2-3 months after the revaccination in contrast with only 25% of Pfizer booster recipients showing the detectable level of neutralising antibodies,” the Institute said in a statement.
To build the spike protein, Sputnik V used genetic instructions from SARS-CoV-2 and stored the information in double-stranded DNA. Adenoviruses, a type of virus that causes colds, were used to create the vaccine. Meanwhile, Sputnik Light employs recombinant human adenovirus to convey the code for spike proteins and uses a similar architecture. The vaccine uses same design as the J&J which uses human adenovirus serotype 26. Sputnik V is to be administered in two dosages at a gap of 21 days.