Researchers develop ‘next-generation vaccine platform’ against SARS-CoV-2
The etiological agent of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), transmits efficiently from human-to-human. Since the virus was first detected in December 2019 in Wuhan, China, new variants – with mutations at the virus’s spike protein – have emerged, resulting in heightened transmissibility. With no targeted and effective antiviral treatment options currently available, mass vaccinations remain our best bet at turning the tide of the COVID-19 pandemic.
While nations worldwide are partaking in the enormous COVID-19 vaccination plans, perfecting the rapid roll-out of an efficacious vaccine in the face of numerous infectious diseases calls for further research and development in the field.