SARS-CoV-2 Vaccines: Status Report

Abstract

SARS-CoV-2, the causal agent of COVID-19, first emerged in late 2019 in China. It has since infected more than 870,000 individuals and caused more than 43,000 deaths globally. Here, we discuss therapeutic and prophylactic interventions for SARS-CoV-2 with a focus on vaccine development and its challenges. Vaccines are being rapidly developed but will likely come too late to affect the first wave of a potential pandemic. Nevertheless, critical lessons can be learned for the development of vaccines against rapidly emerging viruses. Importantly, SARS-CoV-2 vaccines will be essential to reducing morbidity and mortality if the virus establishes itself in the population.

Figure 1

Overview of Potential SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine Platforms The structure of a coronavirus particle is depicted on the left, with the different viral proteins indicated. The S protein is the major target for vaccine development. The spike structure shown is based on the trimeric SARS-CoV-1 spike (PDB: 5XL3). One trimer is shown in dark blue, and the receptor binding domain, a main target of neutralizing antibodies, is highlighted in purple. The other two trimers are shown in light blue. SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidates based on different vaccine platforms have been developed, and for some of them, pre-clinical experiments have been initiated. For one mRNA-based candidate, a clinical trial recently started to enroll volunteers shortly (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04283461). However, many additional steps are needed before these vaccines can be used in the population, and this process might take months, if not years. ¹For some candidates, cGMP processes have already been established. ²Clinical trial design might be altered to move vaccines through clinical testing quicker.