Protein Based Vaccines Examples : The Second Generation Of The COVID-19 Vaccine Is Coming

Research progress of protein molecularvaccines

However, due to different technical routes,faster research on neo-crown vaccine variant strains is availableinternationally. A new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine developed by theUniversity of Washington School of Medicine has been tested in clinical phase 3trials and the results have proven that the vaccine is safe and effective. Theseare some protein based vaccines examples.

This vaccine, called GPB510, is a proteinmolecular vaccine, also known as a nanoparticle vaccine or subunit vaccine (avaccine made from a partial antigen, such as a protein, polysaccharide orpeptide of a pathogen, which is safer and more reliable than a vaccinecontaining the complete pathogen), and can actually be classified as arecombinant protein vaccine.

In terms of mechanism of action and line ofdevelopment, GPB510 is a relatively novel second-generation vaccine.

We focus on protein based vaccinesexamples. In contrast to the first-generation neo-coronavirus vaccines, whichwere first approved using mRNA, viral vectors, or inactivated viruses, GPB510is composed of protein nanoparticles in the form of tiny protein spherescovered with 60 spike-in protein receptor binding domains of coronavirus type 2(SARS-CoV-2, or neo-coronavirus).

GPB510 was developed by two laboratories inthe Department of Biochemistry at the University of Washington School ofMedicine. One of these labs, the King lab, pioneered the development ofself-assembling protein nanoparticle technology for the vaccine, while theWisler lab identified and harvested a key fragment (receptor binding domain) ofthe neo-coronavirus spinosomal protein and integrated it into thenanoparticles.

This protein nanomolecule vaccine entereddevelopment back in late 2020. Tests on animals have found that the nanoparticlevaccine produces high levels of virus-neutralizing antibodies at low doses, thelatter producing immunostimulatory effects and antibodies against severaldifferent sites of the coronavirus spike-in protein, which can cope with thetolerance and escape of the vaccine after coronavirus mutation, thus providingresistance to many different strains of neocoronavirus mutations. Protein basedvaccines examples have many issues that need attention.

Principle of action of protein molecularvaccine

The GPB510 vaccine protects the body bystimulating the production of antibodies in the body's immune system against avariety of neo-coronavirus variants. The principle of this vaccine is that ituses multiple antigenic components of neo-coronavirus, i.e., dozens ofreceptor-binding domains on the stinger protein.

The main pathogen responsible for thecurrent worldwide epidemic is the branch BA.2 of the Omicron mutant strain,which has more than 50 amino acid mutations, 29 of which are present on thestinger proteins.

The GPB510 vaccine selected 60 proteinmolecules from the receptor-binding domain of the neocrown virus spike-inprotein, meaning that all these molecules stimulate the body's immune cells toproduce neutralizing antibodies and remember these mutant molecules at the sametime. Even if there are further changes in omicron, the dozens of proteinmolecules of the viral spike-in protein receptor binding domain used in thevaccine may cover these changes.

Protein based vaccines examples aretechnical in nature. Therefore, when vaccinated, the body's immune system canrecognize the new coronavirus variant from multiple perspectives and loci andproduce antibodies.

Now Omicron is still mutating. A new mutantvirus strain, called BA.2.12.1, has been newly discovered in the United Stateson the BA.2 branch, with 2 new mutation sites on its stinging proteins,exchanging some stinging proteins at the key positions of L452Q and S704L,respectively. Moreover, BA.2.12.1 is spreading rapidly in the United States andis causing an increase in new cases and hospitalizations, spreading 23%-27%faster than BA.2.

If the neocoronavirus egg molecule selectedfor the GPB510 vaccine contains these variant loci, it will also stimulate thebody's immune system to recognize this variant strain and produce antibodies,thus keeping people safe from the neocoronavirus variant.

Second-generation vaccine GPB510 will soonbe approved in the U.S.

On April 25, the University of Washingtonand SK Biosciences, the company that manufactures GPB510, released the resultsof a Phase 3 clinical trial of the vaccine, which was initially shown to be abroad-spectrum, novel vaccine against a variety of neocoronavirus variants.Through a multinational Phase 3 clinical trial of 4,037 adults over the age of18 and comparing the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine Vaxzevria (which is anadenovirus vector vaccine).

The study was conducted by giving GPB510 toone group and Vaxzevria to the control group in two doses, 4 weeks apart, andfound that GPB510 produced higher levels of protective antibodies thanVaxzevria. In addition, GPB510 had a higher percentage of subjects withantibody conversion (a 4-fold or greater increase in the level of neutralizingantibodies produced after vaccination).

In addition to being safe, effective at lowdoses, and easy to produce on a large scale, another advantage of GPB510SK isthat it does not require deep freezing. Therefore, this vaccine facilitates itsuse for people in areas with limited medical, transportation and storageresources, such as countries in Africa, thus reaching the goal of vaccinatingthis vaccine globally.

Meanwhile, GPB510, if fully approved byregulatory agencies, will be available through the COVID-19 Vaccine AccessMechanism (COVAX), an international mechanism of the World Health Organizationfor equitable distribution of COVID vaccine around the world.

For comparison, the domestic Kexing andSinopharm inactivated vaccines of the Ao strain are only entering clinicaltrials, at most phase 1 clinical trials, which are inferior to GPB510 in termsof progress. GPB510 is already in phase 3 clinical trial results and may soonbe approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for human use.