Issue 4, 2022

Recent advances in nanotechnology-based COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutic antibodies

Abstract

COVID-19 has caused a global pandemic and millions of deaths. It is imperative to develop effective countermeasures against the causative viral agent, SARS-CoV-2 and its many variants. Vaccines and therapeutic antibodies are the most effective approaches for preventing and treating COVID-19, respectively. SARS-CoV-2 enters host cells through the activities of the virus-surface spike (S) protein. Accordingly, the S protein is a prime target for vaccines and therapeutic antibodies. Dealing with particles with dimensions on the scale of nanometers, nanotechnology has emerged as a critical tool for rapidly designing and developing safe, effective, and urgently needed vaccines and therapeutics to control the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, nanotechnology was key to the fast-track approval of two mRNA vaccines for their wide use in human populations. In this review article, we first explore the roles of nanotechnology in battling COVID-19, including protein nanoparticles (for presentation of protein vaccines), lipid nanoparticles (for formulation with mRNAs), and nanobodies (as unique therapeutic antibodies). We then summarize the currently available COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics based on nanotechnology.

Graphical abstract: Recent advances in nanotechnology-based COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutic antibodies

Article information

Article type
Review Article
Submitted
13 jun 2021
Accepted
21 dez 2021
First published
01 jan 2022

Nanoscale, 2022,14, 1054-1074

Recent advances in nanotechnology-based COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutic antibodies

L. Du, Y. Yang, X. Zhang and F. Li, Nanoscale, 2022, 14, 1054 DOI: 10.1039/D1NR03831A

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