Vaccines against Covid-19 and their technologies: potential and perspectives: Vacinas para Covid-19

Abstract

As of December 2020, there were more than 200 vaccine candidates for COVID-19 being developed. Among these, at least 52 are already undergoing human testing, while others, currently in phase I / II, are expected to enter phase III in the coming months.

Typically, many vaccines are evaluated before any are considered safe and effective. Thus, of all vaccines that are studied in vitro and in laboratory animals, about seven out of 100 will be considered suitable for the initiation of clinical tests in humans. Of the vaccines that reach clinical trials, only one in five is successful. Having many different vaccines in development increases the chances that there will be one or more successful vaccines that prove to be safe and effective for the intended populations.

There are different approaches to design a vaccine. Their differences lie in the fact that they use an entire virus (or bacterium); only the parts that activate the immune system (protein or sugar); or the genetic material that provides instructions for the production of specific proteins, capable of stimulating the immune response. Currently, another modality has been proposed: a vaccine based on the use of antigen presenting cells, for example. In this article, we will present and discuss the main platforms used for the production of vaccine