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1000
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Abstract/Summary
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We currently experience a milestone phase in the history of vaccination, with first effective coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines authorized for human use within only approximately 1 year after the discovery and global expansion of a new human virus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Some of these vaccines were produced by established conventional approaches, whereas others reflect breakthroughs of novel technologies that are based on at least three decades of scientific development and have now reached the market of mass vaccination for the first time. In this perspective article, we discuss the specific features of the viral antigen used as an immunogen and present the basic concepts behind current mRNA, adenovector, inactivated whole-virus and subunit vaccines, describing similarities and differences. We also address the structural basis of antigenic variation exhibited by newly emerging viral variants, which may pose new challenges to the immunoprophylaxis of COVID-19 by vaccination.
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