Abstract
Seven years after the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) outbreak, a new severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) made its first appearance in a food market in Wuhan, China, drawing an entirely new course to our lives. As the virus belongs to the same genus of MERS and SARS, researchers have been trying to draw lessons from previous outbreaks to find a potential cure. Although there were five Phase I human vaccine trials against SARS and MERS, the lack of data in humans provided us with limited benchmarks that could help us design a new vaccine for Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In this review, we showcase the similarities in structures of virus components between SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2 in areas relevant to vaccine design. Using the ClinicalTrials.gov and World Health Organization (WHO) databases, we shed light on the 16 current approved clinical trials worldwide in search for a COVID-19 vaccine. The different vaccine platforms being tested are Bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG) vaccines, DNA and RNA-based vaccines, inactivated vaccines, protein subunits, and viral vectors. By thoroughly analyzing different trials and platforms, we also discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using each type of vaccine and how they can contribute to the design of an adequate vaccine for COVID-19. Studying past efforts invested in conducting vaccine trials for MERS and SARS will provide vital insights regarding the best approach to designing an effective vaccine against COVID-19.
Highlights
History always holds valuable lessons for us
The questions to be asked today are as follows: What can we learn from the last two coronavirus outbreaks? Can we find similar patterns between severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), and COVID-19? If so, how can this help us in developing a new vaccine? The purpose of this review is to outline the development of vaccine candidates against the coronavirus infections since the emergence of SARS, followed by MERS, and recently COVID-19
The S1 region of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein, including the NTD, only shares 64% sequence identity with SARS-CoV compared with 91% within the S2 region; several predicted high-score epitopes were located in the NTD [14,19]
Summary
History always holds valuable lessons for us. As the influential Chinese philosopher Confucius once said, “Study the past if you want to define the future”. Out of seven types of coronaviruses known to infect humans, only three are considered to be highly pathogenic: the SARS-CoV discovered in 2002 to be the cause of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), the MERS-CoV discovered in 2012 as the responsible virus for the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), and the current SARS-CoV-2 causing Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Scientists and researchers can leverage these similarities to find therapeutic approaches more . While these viruses all belong to the same Betacoronavirus genus, use animal reservoirs, and share clinical features upon infection, there still exist essential differences. The purpose of this review is to outline the development of vaccine candidates against the coronavirus infections since the emergence of SARS, followed by MERS, and recently COVID-19 The questions to be asked today are as follows: What can we learn from the last two coronavirus outbreaks? Can we find similar patterns between SARS, MERS, and COVID-19? If so, how can this help us in developing a new vaccine? The purpose of this review is to outline the development of vaccine candidates against the coronavirus infections since the emergence of SARS, followed by MERS, and recently COVID-19
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