1
|
Xue W, Li T, Gu Y, Li S, Xia N. Molecular engineering tools for the development of vaccines against infectious diseases: current status and future directions. Expert Rev Vaccines 2023. [PMID: 37339445 DOI: 10.1080/14760584.2023.2227699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2023] [Accepted: 06/16/2023] [Indexed: 06/22/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The escalating global changes have fostered conditions for the expansion and transmission of diverse biological factors, leading to the rise of emerging and reemerging infectious diseases. Complex viral infections, such as COVID-19, influenza, HIV, and Ebola, continue to surface, necessitating the development of effective vaccine technologies. AREAS COVERED This review article highlights recent advancements in molecular biology, virology, and genomics that have propelled the design and development of innovative molecular tools. These tools have promoted new vaccine research platforms and directly improved vaccine efficacy. The review summarizes the cutting-edge molecular engineering tools used in creating novel vaccines and explores the rapidly expanding molecular tools landscape and potential directions for future vaccine development. EXPERT OPINION The strategic application of advanced molecular engineering tools can address conventional vaccine limitations, enhance the overall efficacy of vaccine products, promote diversification in vaccine platforms, and form the foundation for future vaccine development. Prioritizing safety considerations of these novel molecular tools during vaccine development is crucial.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Wenhui Xue
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, School of Life Sciences, School of Public Health, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
- National Institute of Diagnostics and Vaccine Development in Infectious Diseases, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
- Xiang an Biomedicine Laboratory, Xiamen, China
| | - Tingting Li
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, School of Life Sciences, School of Public Health, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
- National Institute of Diagnostics and Vaccine Development in Infectious Diseases, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
- Xiang an Biomedicine Laboratory, Xiamen, China
| | - Ying Gu
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, School of Life Sciences, School of Public Health, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
- National Institute of Diagnostics and Vaccine Development in Infectious Diseases, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
- Xiang an Biomedicine Laboratory, Xiamen, China
| | - Shaowei Li
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, School of Life Sciences, School of Public Health, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
- National Institute of Diagnostics and Vaccine Development in Infectious Diseases, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
- Xiang an Biomedicine Laboratory, Xiamen, China
| | - Ningshao Xia
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, School of Life Sciences, School of Public Health, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
- National Institute of Diagnostics and Vaccine Development in Infectious Diseases, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
- Xiang an Biomedicine Laboratory, Xiamen, China
- The Research Unit of Frontier Technology of Structural Vaccinology of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Xiamen, China
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Cavaillon JM, Levin J. Revisiting Metchnikoff's work in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Innate Immun 2022; 28:57-66. [PMID: 35040340 PMCID: PMC9058377 DOI: 10.1177/17534259211070663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Revisiting Metchnikoff's work in light of the COVID-19 pandemic illustrates how much this amazing scientist was a polymath, and one could speculate how much he would have been fascinated and most interested in following the course of the pandemic. Since he coined the word “gerontology”, he would have been intrigued by the high mortality among the elderly, and by the concepts of immunosenescence and inflammaging that characterize the SARS-CoV-2 infection. While Metchnikoff's work is mainly associated with the discovery of the phagocytes and the birth of cellular innate immunity, he regularly invited his closest collaborators to investigate humoral immunity, and it was in his laboratory that Jules Bordet made his major discovery of the complement system. While Metchnikoff and his team investigated many infectious diseases, he also contributed to studies linked to vaccination, such as those on typhoid fever performed in chimpanzees, illustrating that non-human primates can provide animal models which are potentially helpful for understanding the pathophysiology of the COVID-19 virus. In the present review, we illustrate how much his own work and the investigations of his trainees were pertinent to this new disease.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Jack Levin
- Departments of Laboratory Medicine and Medicine, University of California School of Medicine, San Francisco, CA, USA
| |
Collapse
|