SARS-CoV-2 Spike-Based Vaccines

Dear Colleagues, 

The SARS-CoV (β-CoV) outbreaks in 2003 and 2019 created an epidemic and a pandemic, and SARS-CoV-2 has mutated into several variants thus far. Structurally, SARS-CoV-2 is a nanostructural system consisting of nuclear material surrounded by coat proteins, including a spike (S) glycoprotein. The S protein is most crucial in ACE2 host-cell receptor binding, and hence, it is a main target of the immune system. Though the mortality caused by these β-CoV is substantial, a promising strategy and long-term solution to treat patients infected with the virus is still required. One effective method is to design innovative strategies to develop preventative vaccines considering proteins from the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus itself. These self-derived vaccines can have several significant impacts on understanding β-CoV; they can induce immune responses, a critical component for vaccinology, and can trigger the production of an antibody repertoire. Despite the significant threat that COVID-19 variants pose to current vaccines, these mutations in the S protein can guide novel current/future key vaccines strategies. This Special Issue aims to gather research (reviews, short reports, hypotheses, research articles, etc.) that addresses all aspects of spike-based vaccine development and the implications of variants.

Dr. Umesh Kalathiya
Dr. Monikaben Padariya
Dr. Peter Maple
Guest Editors

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