Russian researchers have unveiled a new genetic engineering platform that they say will enable the country’s pioneering Covid-19 vaccine, Sputnik V, to be adapted, within 48 hours, to fight any future variants of the deadly virus.

Alexander Gintsburg, who led the team behind the formula, told RIA Novosti on Friday that his scientists at Moscow’s Gamaleya Institute had refined a way of rapidly updating Sputnik’s makeup if new, vaccine-resistant, variants emerge.

According to him, “this is the same technology, based on adenovirus vectors,” which was used to develop Sputnik V last year. “A new sequence, based on a mutant version of the virus’ spike protein, can be synthesized literally within one day,” he confirmed, “and the next day it is inserted into the previously used vector,” and then the genetically engineered construction can be used as a vaccine.

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