ABSTRACT
The first publication of micro‐ and nanotechnology in medicine was in 1798 with the use of the Cowpox virus by Edward Jenner as an attenuated vaccine against Smallpox. Since then, there has been an explosion of micro‐ and nanotechnologies for medical applications. The breadth of these micro‐ and nanotechnologies is discussed in this piece, presenting the date of their first report and their latest progression (e.g., clinical trials, FDA approval). This includes successes such as the recent severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) vaccines from Pfizer, Moderna, and Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) as well as the most popular nanoparticle therapy, liposomal Doxil. However, the enormity of the success of these platforms has not been without challenges. For example, we discuss why the production of Doxil was halted for several years, and the bankruptcy of BIND therapeutics, which relied on a nanoparticle drug carrier. Overall, the field of micro‐ and nanotechnology has advanced beyond these challenges and continues advancing new and novel platforms that have transformed therapies, vaccines, and imaging. In this review, a wide range of biomedical micro‐ and nanotechnology is discussed to serve as a primer to the field and provide an accessible summary of clinically relevant micro‐ and nanotechnology platforms.
ABSTRACT
The first publication of micro- and nanotechnology in medicine was in 1798 with the use of the Cowpox virus by Edward Jenner as an attenuated vaccine against Smallpox. Since then, there has been an explosion of micro- and nanotechnologies for medical applications. The breadth of these micro- and nanotechnologies is discussed in this piece, presenting the date of their first report and their latest progression (e.g., clinical trials, FDA approval). This includes successes such as the recent severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccines from Pfizer, Moderna, and Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) as well as the most popular nanoparticle therapy, liposomal Doxil. However, the enormity of the success of these platforms has not been without challenges. For example, we discuss why the production of Doxil was halted for several years, and the bankruptcy of BIND therapeutics, which relied on a nanoparticle drug carrier. Overall, the field of micro- and nanotechnology has advanced beyond these challenges and continues advancing new and novel platforms that have transformed therapies, vaccines, and imaging. In this review, a wide range of biomedical micro- and nanotechnology is discussed to serve as a primer to the field and provide an accessible summary of clinically relevant micro- and nanotechnology platforms.
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has led to an unprecedented effort toward the development of an effective and safe vaccine. Aided by extensive research efforts into characterizing and developing countermeasures towards prior coronavirus epidemics, as well as recent developments of diverse vaccine platform technologies, hundreds of vaccine candidates using dozens of delivery vehicles and routes have been proposed and evaluated preclinically. A high demand coupled with massive effort from researchers has led to the advancement of at least 31 candidate vaccines in clinical trials, many using platforms that have never before been approved for use in humans. This review will address the approach and requirements for a successful vaccine against SARS-CoV-2, the background of the myriad of vaccine platforms currently in clinical trials for COVID-19 prevention, and a summary of the present results of those trials. It concludes with a perspective on formulation problems which remain to be addressed in COVID-19 vaccine development and antigens or adjuvants which may be worth further investigation.