新型冠状病毒亚单位疫苗研究进展及现状*

自新型冠状病毒肺炎在2019年年末暴发以来,如何高效防控疫情一直是紧急的全球公共安全事件。疫苗是有效阻止病毒感染人体、保护高危人群免于疾病快速进展以及遏制疫情进一步扩大的手段之一,其中亚单位疫苗的主要成分为特定的病毒抗原蛋白或多肽,通过加入疫苗佐剂提高抗原的免疫原性。由于机体仅针对重组蛋白表面的特定抗原表位进行识别并产生抗体,因此亚单位疫苗具有较高的保护能力和安全性。通过对目前已上市及处于临床阶段的各类新型冠状病毒亚单位疫苗进行梳理,介绍了各类亚单位疫苗的抗原设计策略和佐剂选择、整体保护能力及研究进展,并对亚单位疫苗的应用及技术优势进行分析,期望能为亚单位疫苗研发及全球疫情防控提供参考。

Progress and Current Situation of SARS-CoV-2 Subunit Vaccine Development

Since the outbreak of novel coronavirus disease in late 2019, it has been a global public safety emergency to efficiently prevent and control the epidemic. Vaccine is one of the means to effectively prevent the virus from infecting humans, protect high-risk groups from rapid disease progression and minimize further spread of the virus-caused epidemic. Subunit vaccine is a safe and effective strategy that contains recombinant protein antigens of specific viral components and vaccine adjuvant that helps increasing the immunogenicity of the antigen. Since the specific immunogenic viral antigen can activate the immune system, which thus produces antibodies against immunodominant epitopes on the surface of the protein antigen, it offers subunit vaccine a high degree of protection and safety. The major severe acute respiratory symptom coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) subunit vaccines that have been marketed and are currently in the clinical stage are reviewed. The design concepts of various antigens and types of vaccine adjuvants, the protective capacity, and the research progress of subunit vaccine candidates are introduced. The applications and technical advantages of subunit vaccine are analyzed. This review is expected to provide suggestions for subunit vaccine development and global epidemic prevention and control.