Designing a novel multi-epitope peptide vaccine against SARS-Cov-2 using immunoinformatics tool

Acute Coronavirus Syndrome Virus (SARS-CoV-2) virus first appeared in China and spread rapidly around the world. Due to its wide spread around the world, efforts are needed to provide an effective and safe vaccine against this virus. The virus genome contains a single-stranded RNA molecule that encodes four different structural proteins, among which the virus spike (S) and nucleocapsid (N) proteins play an important role in stimulating the immune system to fight the virus. Multi-epitope peptide vaccines, which include immunogenic epitopes of T and B cells, have received much attention in recent years due to their high specificity. These vaccines were designed using immunoinformatics tools.

In this study, the S and N proteins of SARS-CoV-2 were analyzed with the help of bioinformatics servers to identify CD4 and B T cell epitopes. Cholera toxin B subunit and PADRE epitope were used as adjuvants. The components were linked together by peptide linkers and the structural features of the vaccine were predicted, including antigenicity, non-allergenicity, physicochemical properties, secondary and tertiary structures using bioinformatics servers.

According to the results of bioinformatics analysis, the structure has high antigenicity and is not allergenic.

Therefore, the designed structure as a suitable vaccine candidate against SARS-CoV-2 can be examined, although experimental studies are necessary.