Viral Vaccines and Antivirals

Dear Colleagues,

Time and again, the COVID-19 pandemic has proved the recurrent nature of a viral pandemic. Viral disease has become a constant threat to human society because of climate change, deforestation, the increased international movement of man and materials, and the continuous evolution of viral genomes. Vaccines are the greatest achievement of modern science for the prophylactic control of emerging and re-emerging viral diseases. Despite considerable advancements in understanding the immune response to different viral pathogens, for a comprehensive picture of the correlates of protection and improvements in novel vaccine strategies, we still lack effective universal vaccines against several global pathogens, such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), influenza, and rhinovirus. In addition to these global pathogens, we do not have licensed vaccines for highly pathogenic viruses such as Crimean–Congo hemorrhagic fever virus, hemorrhagic filoviruses (Ebola and Marburg), Lassa virus, Nipah virus, and Rift Valley fever virus. Furthermore, several arboviruses are (re-) emerging, including Dengue, Zika, chikungunya, Japanese encephalitis, and West Nile viruses, and global warming is likely to further expand the presence of these arboviruses beyond their current borders.

The obstacles to developing vaccines against these viruses are the high mutation rate of HIV, antigenic drift in the hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) proteins of influenza virus, high genetic diversity in rhinoviruses, and the antibody-dependent enhancement, as well as four different serotypes, in Dengue virus. Besides these factors, genetic diversity in humans, a growing aged population, compromised immune states, and an incomplete understanding of the immune mechanisms of protection render many currently available vaccines ineffective or less effective.

Antiviral drugs (AVDs) are the counterpart of vaccines; most importantly, AVDs can be used where vaccines fail to prevent disease or licensed vaccines are unavailable. Genetic engineering techniques to generate reporter viruses and high-throughput automated systems have enabled scientists to rapidly screen thousands of compounds against various viruses. In silico modeling and physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PB-PK) approaches have accelerated the speed of the drug screening process. Recent developments in pharmacokinetic–pharmacodynamic (PK-PD) studies in humanized mouse models have increased the probability of animal-to-human translations. Despite these technological advancements, AVDs are not available against many pathogenic viruses. Several challenges at the preclinical and clinical trial stages have made the drug discovery and development process unaffordable. To protect the human race from the endless cycle of drug resistance, the continuous discovery and development of new drugs is a must.

This Special Issue of Vaccines will address key questions to improve our understanding and help us to produce better vaccines and antivirals. Potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• DNA/RNA/protein-based vaccines;
• Correlates of immune protection;
• Novel vaccination strategies;
• Structure-based vaccine design;
• Vaccine formulations with an emphasis on nanoformulation;
• Small molecules and therapeutic antibodies;
• High-throughput screening platforms;
• Antiviral drug targets and mechanisms of action;
• Drug screening assays;
• Pharmacokinetic–pharmacodynamic studies of antivirals.

You may choose our Joint Special Issue in Vaccines.

Dr. Chandru Subramani
Dr. Tarani Kanta Barman
Guest Editors

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