ZyCoV-D, a potential vaccine for coronavirus, is being developed by India’s Cadila Healthcare Ltd.Current status: The vaccine is under a phase I/II trial. The phase I part of the study is designed to evaluate the safety of ZyCoV-D in healthy subjects while the phase II part will evaluate the immunogenicity of the vaccine in healthy subjects compared to placebo.Mode of Action: ZyCoV-D is a plasmid-based DNA vaccine encoding the major viral membrane protein responsible for the cell entry of the novel coronavirus SARS-COV-2. When the plasmid DNA is introduced into the cells of a healthy human through vaccination, it would be translated into the viral protein and elicit a strong immune response, thereby offering protection from disease as well as viral clearance.Next Milestone:The phase I/II trial, which began on July 10, is expected to be completed in about three months.