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Review
. 2020 Jun 19;10(17):7821-7835.
doi: 10.7150/thno.47987. eCollection 2020.

COVID-19: Progress in diagnostics, therapy and vaccination

Xue Liu  1 , Chao Liu  2 , Gang Liu  2 , Wenxin Luo  1 , Ningshao Xia  1
Affiliations
Review

COVID-19: Progress in diagnostics, therapy and vaccination

Xue Liu et al. Theranostics. .

Abstract

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has recently become a pandemic. As the sudden emergence and rapid spread of SARS-CoV-2 is endangering global health and the economy, the development of strategies to contain the virus's spread are urgently needed. At present, various diagnostic kits to test for SARS-CoV-2 are available for use to initiate appropriate treatment faster and to limit further spread of the virus. Several drugs have demonstrated in vitro activity against SARS-CoV-2 or potential clinical benefits. In addition, institutions and companies worldwide are working tirelessly to develop treatments and vaccines against COVID-19. However, no drug or vaccine has yet been specifically approved for COVID-19. Given the urgency of the outbreak, we focus here on recent advances in the diagnostics, treatment, and vaccine development for SARS-CoV-2 infection, helping to guide strategies to address the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; antiviral therapy; diagnostics.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interest exists.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic presentation of the SARS-CoV-2 viral lifecycle. SARS-CoV-2 enters host cells by first binding to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) via the surface spike (S) protein. Following entry of the virus into the host cell, viral genomic RNA is released and translated into viral polymerase proteins. In this process, subgenomic (-) RNAs are synthesized and used as a template to form subgenomic (+) messenger RNAs (mRNAs). The nucleocapsid (N) structural protein and viral RNA are replicated, transcribed, and synthesized in the cytoplasm, whereas other viral structural proteins, including the S protein, membrane (M) protein and envelope (E) protein, are transcribed and then translated in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). The resulting structural proteins are further assembled into the nucleocapsid and viral envelope at the ER-Golgi intermediate compartment (ERGIC) to form a mature virion, followed by release of the nascent virion from the host cell.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Chemical structural formula of candidate therapeutic agents.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Approaches to SARS-CoV-2 vaccine development.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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