Advances in gene-based vaccine platforms to address the COVID-19 pandemic

The novel betacoronavirus, SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2), has spread across the globe at an unprecedented rate since its first emergence in Wuhan City, China in December 2019. Scientific communities around the world have been rigorously working to develop a potent vaccine to combat COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019), employing conventional and novel vaccine strategies. Gene-based vaccine platforms based on viral vectors, DNA, and RNA, have shown promising results encompassing both humoral and cell-mediated immune responses in previous studies, supporting their implementation for COVID-19 vaccine de-velopment. In fact, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently authorized the emergency use of two RNA-based COVID-19 vaccines. We review current gene-based vaccine candidates proceeding through clinical trials, including their antigenic targets, delivery vehicles, and route of administration. Important features of pre-vious gene-based vaccine developments against other infectious diseases are discussed in guiding the design and development of effective vaccines against COVID-19 and future derivatives. (c) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

The global scientific community is actively developing gene-based vaccines to combat the novel coronavirus, including platforms based on viral vectors, DNA, and RNA. The U.S. FDA has recently authorized the emergency use of two RNA-based COVID-19 vaccines, with more gene-based vaccine candidates proceeding through clinical trials in the future.