RAS question
The Biological E's Corbevax COVID-19 vaccine uses which platform?
Correct answer: (A) Protein subunit (recombinant).
Biological E's Corbevax COVID-19 vaccine uses a recombinant protein subunit platform.
Explanation
Corbevax is a protein subunit vaccine, not a whole-virus or gene-delivery vaccine. The WHO product page identifies its type as a COVID-19 vaccine based on a recombinant protein subunit platform. Biological E's vaccine uses a recombinant spike protein, with an adjuvant, to generate an immune response against SARS-CoV-2. The key exam clue is the word "subunit": the vaccine presents a selected protein component rather than using an inactivated virus, a viral vector, or mRNA instructions. Therefore, option A is the platform that fits both the official WHO listing and Corbevax's mechanism.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) Viral vector is wrong because Corbevax is listed by WHO as a recombinant protein subunit vaccine, not as a vaccine that uses a viral carrier.
- (C) mRNA is wrong because Corbevax uses a recombinant protein antigen with an adjuvant, rather than mRNA instructions for cells to make the antigen.
- (D) Inactivated virus is wrong because Corbevax is based on recombinant protein subunit technology, not on a chemically inactivated whole SARS-CoV-2 virus.
Concept
This tests vaccine-platform classification under Science and Technology, a recurring RAS theme because COVID-19 vaccines are often compared by mechanism. The trap is to confuse Indian vaccine names with different platforms such as inactivated-virus, viral-vector, mRNA and protein-subunit vaccines.