Journal
EXPERT REVIEW OF VACCINES
Volume 20, Issue 7, Pages 857-880Publisher
TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD
DOI: 10.1080/14760584.2021.1938550
Keywords
Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine; SARS-COV-2; COVID-19 pandemic; trained immunity; clinical trials
Categories
Funding
- National Natural Science Foundation of China [81801643]
- Beijing Municipal Science & Technology Commission [19L2152]
- Chinese PLA General Hospital [QNC19047]
- Finnish Cultural Foundation
- Tampere Tuberculosis Foundation
- Jane & Aatos Erkko Foundation
- Finnish Foundation for Cardiovascular Research
- Academy of Finland
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This study reviewed the concept and mechanisms of trained immunity induced by the BCG vaccine and presented details of current BCG vaccine clinical trials. The advantages of the BCG vaccine may be essential in overcoming the challenges faced by COVID-19 vaccines.
Introduction: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic continues to spread worldwide and vaccination remains the most effective approach to control COVID-19. Currently, at least ten COVID-19 vaccines have been authorized under emergency authorization. However, these vaccines still face many challenges. Areas covered: This study reviews the concept and mechanisms of trained immunity induced by the Bacille Calmette Guerin (BCG) vaccine and identifies questions that should be answered before the BCG vaccine could be used to combat COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, we present for the first time the details of current BCG vaccine clinical trials, which are underway in various countries, to assess its effectiveness in combating the COVID-19 pandemic. Finally, we discuss the challenges of COVID-19 vaccines and opportunities for the BCG vaccine. The literature was found by searching the PubMed (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/), Web of Science (www.webofknowledge.com), Embase (https://www.embase.com), and CNKI (https://www.cnki.net/) databases. The date was set as the default parameter for each database. Expert opinion: The advantages of the BCG vaccine can compensate for the shortcomings of other COVID-19 vaccines. If the efficacy of the BCG vaccine against COVID-19 is confirmed by these clinical trials, the BCG vaccine may be essential to resolve the challenges faced by COVID-19 vaccines.
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