Recent advances in nanotechnology-based COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutic antibodies.

Abstract

COVID-19 has caused a global pandemic and millions of deaths. It is imperative to develop effective countermeasures against the causative viral agent, SARS-CoV-2 and its many variants. Vaccines and therapeutic antibodies are the most effective approaches for preventing and treating COVID-19, respectively. SARS-CoV-2 enters host cells through the activities of the virus-surface spike (S) protein. Accordingly, the S protein is a prime target for vaccines and therapeutic antibodies. Dealing with particles with dimensions on the scale of nanometers, nanotechnology has emerged as a critical tool for rapidly designing and developing safe, effective, and urgently needed vaccines and therapeutics to control the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, nanotechnology was key to the fast-track approval of two mRNA vaccines for their wide use in human populations. In this review article, we first explore the roles of nanotechnology in battling COVID-19, including protein nanoparticles (for presentation of protein vaccines), lipid nanoparticles (for formulation with mRNAs), and nanobodies (as unique therapeutic antibodies). We then summarize the currently available COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics based on nanotechnology.

• Authors: Lanying Du, Yang Yang, Xiujuan Zhang, Fang Li
• Journal: Nanoscale (Nanoscale) Vol. 14 Issue 4 Pg. 1054-1074 (Jan 27 2022) ISSN: 2040-3372 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 35018939 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Review)

Chemical References

• Antibodies
• COVID-19 Vaccines
• Lipid Nanoparticles
• Liposomes
• mRNA Vaccines

Topics

• Antibodies (therapeutic use)
• COVID-19 (prevention & control, therapy)
• COVID-19 Vaccines
• Humans
• Liposomes
• Nanoparticles
• Nanotechnology
• Pandemics
• mRNA Vaccines