Design of a peptide-based subunit vaccine against novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2

• Published in: Microbial pathogenesis Vol. 145; p. 104236
• Main Authors: Kalita, Parismita, Padhi, Aditya K., Zhang, Kam Y.J., Tripathi, Timir
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01-08-2020
• Subjects: Adjuvant; Antigens, Viral - immunology; Betacoronavirus - immunology; Coronavirus Infections - immunology; Coronavirus Infections - prevention & control; COVID-19; Epitopes, B-Lymphocyte - immunology; Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte - immunology; Humans; Immunogenic epitopes; Molecular Dynamics Simulation; Nucleocapsid Proteins - immunology; Pandemics - prevention & control; Peptide vaccine; Pneumonia, Viral - immunology; Pneumonia, Viral - prevention & control; SARS-CoV-2; Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus - immunology; Subunit vaccine; Vaccines, Subunit - immunology; Viral Vaccines - immunology; COVID-19; Immunogenic epitopes; SARS-CoV-2; Adjuvant; Peptide vaccine; Subunit vaccine
• ISSN: 0882-4010; 1096-1208
• DOI: 10.1016/j.micpath.2020.104236

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an emerging infectious disease that was first reported in Wuhan, China, and has subsequently spread worldwide. In the absence of any antiviral or immunomodulatory therapies, the disease is spreading at an alarming rate. A possibility of a resurgence of COVID-19 in places where lockdowns have already worked is also developing. Thus, for controlling COVID-19, vaccines may be a better option than drugs. An mRNA-based anti-COVID-19 candidate vaccine has entered a phase 1 clinical trial. However, its efficacy and potency have to be evaluated and validated. Since vaccines have high failure rates, as an alternative, we are presenting a new, designed multi-peptide subunit-based epitope vaccine against COVID-19. The recombinant vaccine construct comprises an adjuvant, cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL), helper T-lymphocyte (HTL), and B-cell epitopes joined by linkers. The computational data suggest that the vaccine is non-toxic, non-allergenic, thermostable, with the capability to elicit a humoral and cell-mediated immune response. The stabilization of the vaccine construct is validated with molecular dynamics simulation studies. This unique vaccine is made up of 33 highly antigenic epitopes from three proteins that have a prominent role in host-receptor recognition, viral entry, and pathogenicity. We advocate this vaccine must be synthesized and tested urgently as a public health priority.
•The rapid increase of SARS-CoV-2 infections across the globe has triggered R&D on an effective vaccine.•We present a multi-epitope subunit-based vaccine designed using an integrated immunoinformatics approach.•Our vaccine is made up of 33 highly antigenic epitopes from three vital pathogen proteins.•Computational data predict that the vaccine is non-toxic, non-allergenic, and immunogenic.•An experimental evaluation of this vaccine is required to determine its practical immunogenic potency.