Which Indian scientist lead the team that developed the first indigenous COVID-19 vaccine?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → Gagandeep Kang
Note: The given answer is as per NTA. However, there seems to be a mistake in the question as explained below:
- India's first indigenous COVID-19 vaccine, Covaxin, was developed by Bharat Biotech together with the ICMR and the National Institute of Virology, and the team was led by the company's chairman Dr Krishna Ella, whose name does not appear among the options.
- Gagandeep Kang is India's foremost vaccine scientist, the first Indian woman elected a Fellow of the Royal Society, and worked on rotavirus vaccine development and on the testing and evaluation of vaccines, but she did not head the Covaxin team.
Of the four names offered she is the only vaccine researcher — K. Sivan headed ISRO, Randeep Guleria was the director of AIIMS and Soumya Swaminathan was the WHO Chief Scientist — which is why the key takes her name.