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Review
. 2020 Aug 5;21(6):225.
doi: 10.1208/s12249-020-01744-7.

The COVID-19 Vaccine Race: Challenges and Opportunities in Vaccine Formulation

Jieliang Wang  1 , Ying Peng  2 , Haiyue Xu  1 , Zhengrong Cui  1 , Robert O Williams 3rd  3
Affiliations
Review

The COVID-19 Vaccine Race: Challenges and Opportunities in Vaccine Formulation

Jieliang Wang et al. AAPS PharmSciTech. .

Abstract

In the race for a safe and effective vaccine against coronavirus disease (COVID)-19, pharmaceutical formulation science plays a critical role throughout the development, manufacturing, distribution, and vaccination phases. The proper choice of the type of vaccine, carrier or vector, adjuvant, excipients, dosage form, and route of administration can directly impact not only the immune responses induced and the resultant efficacy against COVID-19, but also the logistics of manufacturing, storing and distributing the vaccine, and mass vaccination. In this review, we described the COVID-19 vaccines that are currently tested in clinical trials and provided in-depth insight into the various types of vaccines, their compositions, advantages, and potential limitations. We also addressed how challenges in vaccine distribution and administration may be alleviated by applying vaccine-stabilization strategies and the use of specific mucosal immune response-inducing, non-invasive routes of administration, which must be considered early in the development process.

Keywords: adjuvant; coronavirus; mucosal vaccination; route of administration; vaccine.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Overlay comparisons between SARS-CoV-2 RBD (yellow, PDB ID: 6VW1) and SARS-CoV RBD (blue, PDB ID: 3D0H) bind to ACE2 (red, PDB ID: 6VW1). Residues close to the interface are highlighted in green for SARS-CoV-2 RBD and cyan for SARS-CoV RBD. Image of 6VW1 (Shang, J., Ye, G., Shi, K., Wan, Y., Luo, C., Aihara, H., Geng, Q., Auerbach, A., Li, F., 2020. Structural basis of receptor recognition by SARS-CoV-2. Nature 581, 221–224.) and 3D0H (Li, F., 2008. Structural Analysis of Major Species Barriers between Humans and Palm Civets for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus Infections. J. Virol. 82, 6984–6991.) are visualized using the PyMOL Molecular Graphics System
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
A comparison of routes of administration between the ideal vaccines and the current COVID-19 vaccine candidates
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
A comparison between slow and fast freezing process
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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