Efforts at COVID-19 Vaccine Development: Challenges and Successes

Abstract

The rapid spread of SARS-CoV-2, the new coronavirus (CoV), throughout the globe poses a daunting public health emergency. Different preventive efforts have been undertaken in response to this global health predicament; amongst them, vaccine development is at the forefront. Several sophisticated designs have been applied to create a vaccine against SARS-CoV-2, and 44 candidates have already entered clinical trials. At present, it is unclear which ones will meet the objectives of efficiency and safety, though several vaccines are gearing up to obtain emergency approval in the U.S. and Europe. This manuscript discusses the advantages and disadvantages of various vaccine platforms and evaluates the safety and efficacy of vaccines in advance stages. Once a vaccine is developed, the next challenge will be acquisition, deployment, and uptake. The present manuscript describes these challenges in detail and proposes solutions to the vast array of translational challenges. It is evident from the epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 that the virus will remain a threat to everybody as long as the virus is still circulating in a few. We need affordable vaccines that are produced in sufficient quantity for use in every corner of the world.

Keywords: COVID-19 disease; pandemics; public health; severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2); trials; vaccines.

Figure 1

Portraying the biology of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), mode of virus transmission, non-vaccine prevention strategies, and potential vaccine candidates that have progressed to clinical trials. (A) Viral structure and infection by binding of S protein to host receptor ACE2, (B) the transmission pathways, (C) identification of areas for further studies facilitating vaccine development, (D) non-vaccine strategies to contain the spread of infection, (E) potential vaccine may act through the production of neutralizing antibodies and/or cytotoxic CD8+ T cells that destroy the infected cells, (F) vaccine platforms for creating anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccines, (G) number of potential vaccines entered into clinical trials.