Drug Development Strategies and Immunological Aspects of SARS-CoV-2

Abstract

Following the 1918 influenza virus attack, which resulted in a worldwide pandemic, the world is again facing a similar situation as of March 2020, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The discovery of a novel infectious agent from the Coronaviridae family was made possible by advancements in Medical Science and achievements in pharmaceutical research. SARS-CoV-2 is a member of the coronavirus family, a large and diverse group of viruses with a wide range of characteristics. This single-stranded RNA virus that infects humans and other animals has a single linear RNA segment and infects them in a positive-sense manner. The common cold is not the only sickness that coronaviruses may cause. They can also cause more dangerous infections like the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), with a 34 percent mortality rate. Rapid sequencing by several organizations aided in identifying the virus's structure and function, determining the virus's immunogenicity in various populations, and developing effective prophylactic medicines for the virus. As of December 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that more than 150 vaccine candidates for COVID-19 were developing. Because of this, a total of 52 potential vaccination candidates are now being investigated in different phases. According to the WHO, nine vaccines have been approved and have extensive use from at least one regulatory authority, and five more are under evaluation.