With reference to recent developments regarding 'Recombinant Vector Vaccines', consider the following statements: 1. Genetic engineering is applied in the development of these vaccines. 2. Bacteria and viruses are used as vectors. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Answer: C. Both statements about Recombinant Vector Vaccines are correct. RECOMBINANT VECTOR VACCINES are an advanced category of vaccines that use genetic engineering to deliver pathogen antigens via a harmless 'vector' organism, eliciting an immune response without using the live disease-causing pathogen itself. Statement 1 is CORRECT. GENETIC ENGINEERING IS APPLIED in their development. The process involves: - Identifying the gene(s) encoding the pathogen's protective antigen. - INSERTING THIS GENE into the genome of a harmless carrier organism (the vector). - The vector then expresses the antigen when administered, triggering an immune response. The technology uses recombinant DNA technology, expression cassettes, and selection markers — quintessential genetic engineering. Statement 2 is CORRECT. BOTH BACTERIA AND VIRUSES are used as vectors: VIRAL VECTORS — most common in recent vaccines: - ADENOVIRUS-VECTORED VACCINES: J&J/Janssen COVID-19 vaccine (Ad26), Oxford-AstraZeneca/Covishield (ChAdOx1 chimp adenovirus), Sputnik V (Ad5 and Ad26). India's COVAXIN is different (inactivated whole-virus). - VESICULAR STOMATITIS VIRUS (VSV) used in the Ervebo Ebola vaccine. - MEASLES VIRUS vectors in experimental vaccines. - VACCINIA VIRUS (e.g., MVA) historically used. BACTERIAL VECTORS: - SALMONELLA, LACTOBACILLUS, BCG (Mycobacterium bovis) used in research/development. - BCG vaccine itself (for tuberculosis) has been adapted as a vector for delivering antigens of HIV, malaria, leishmania in research. So both statements are correct. Source: NCERT Class 12 Biology — Biotechnology Applications / WHO COVID-19 vaccine technology landscape.