This 'new Pan-coronavirus vaccine' developed by US blocks Covid-19, variants, could prevent future pandemic

New Delhi, May 11: With the sudden surge of cases tied to the new variants, the need for a pan-vaccine that simultaneously protects against SARS-CoV-2 and emerging zoonotic coronaviruses comes down to a matter of survival of the fittest.

Recently, US Reasearchers have found a potential new vaccine, called pan-coronavirus vaccine. This vaccine believed to be universal vaccine has so far proven effective against the original SARS-CoV-1, SARS-CoV-2 as well as diminished efficacy against variants discovered in South Africa and Brazil and related bat Coronaviruses that could potentially cause the next pandemic.

Pan-vaccine against SARS-CoV-2

In an article, published on the JAMA Network and written by health experts, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, American physician-scientist and immunologist serving as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the authors discuss the need for a pan-coronavirus vaccine, which can protect against most or all variants of SARS-CoV-2.

"The further you go, the harder it gets" for a vaccine, says immunologist Dennis Burton of Scripps Research, who often collaborates with Ward.

How does Pan-coronavirus vaccine works?

Pan-coronavirus vaccine triggers neutralising antibodies via a nanoparticle. The nanoparticle is composed of the Coronavirus part that allows it to bind to the body's cell receptors and is formulated with a chemical booster called an adjuvant. Success in primates is highly relevant to humans, said researchers from the Duke University in North Carolina, US.

One coronavirus vaccine to rule them all?
Aiming to prevent a future pandemic like COVID-19, scientists are looking for ways to immunize people against many, if not all, coronaviruses. Several strategies for these pancoronavirus vaccines focus on spike, the surface protein common to all members of the viral family.

However, the science behind a pan-coronavirus vaccine seems relatively simple, but many challenges still exist.

Challenges ahead:
No Pancoronavirus vaccine has entered human trials, and how to evaluate a candidate's protection against diseases that have not yet emerged remains a challenge.