New Covid Vaccine Mimics Virus Shape To Provide Robust Protection: Study

COVID-19 Study: In the study published in the journal ACS Central Science, the researchers immunised mice with nanoparticles that mimic SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, by displaying multiple copies of the receptor binding domain (RBD) antigen.

Scientists have developed a protein-based COVID-19 vaccine candidate that mimics the shape of the virus to trigger robust antibody response in animals. In the study published in the journal ACS Central Science, the researchers immunised mice with nanoparticles that mimic SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, by displaying multiple copies of the receptor binding domain (RBD) antigen. Most protein-based vaccines train the immune system to recognise the RBD, a portion of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, which the virus uses to enter and infect human cells. The spike protein binds to the ACE-2 receptor on host cell surfaces, that acts as a gateway for the entry of the virus.