ABSTRACT
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), better known as COVID-19, is a highly contagious virus, transferable via air droplets from close human-human contact. The pandemic has led to over 6.5 million deaths worldwide, making it the largest global health crisis since the influenza pandemic in 1918. SARS-CoV-2 rapidly spread around the world, forcing the World Health Organization (WHO) to deem it a global health pandemic after three months of its initiation. The virus has wreaked havoc on many countries worldwide, overwhelming healthcare systems, hence damaging many economies. Even though research has progressed the understanding of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the information gathered about the vaccine trials and their findings have been scarcely distributed to the public in a single study. The information available to scientists has therefore given researchers a pathway to building an efficacious vehicle to substantially decrease the spread of the virus. The vaccines formulated had many challenges due to multiple factors such as viral mutations and clinical trial delays. This paper will aim to educate readers on the processes that the vaccine candidates took, and better understand the procedures; additionally, we'll look at all candidates' findings that went into clinical trials, assessing, analyzing, and evaluating the 27 vaccine candidates that went into phase III trials and the 13 candidates that went into either phase I/II trials.
ABSTRACT
A composite system consisting of both organic and inorganic nanoparticles is an approach to prepare a new material exhibiting "the best of both worlds". In this review, we highlight the recent advances in the preparation and applications of poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid)-gold nanoparticles (PLGA-GNP). With its current clinically use, PLGA-based nanocarriers have promising pharmaceutical applications and can "extract and utilize" the fascinating optical and photothermal properties of encapsulated GNP. The resulting "golden polymeric nanocarrier" can be tracked, analyzed, and visualized using the encapsulated gold nanoprobes which facilitate a better understanding of the hosting nanocarrier's pharmacokinetics and biological fate. In addition, the "golden polymeric nanocarrier" can reveal superior nanotherapeutics that combine both the photothermal effect of the encapsulated gold nanoparticles and co-loaded chemotherapeutics. To help stimulate more research on the development of nanomaterials with hybrid and exceptional properties, functionalities, and applications, this review provides recent examples with a focus on the available chemistries and the rationale behind encapsulating GNP into PLGA nanocarriers that has the potential to be translated into innovative, clinically applicable nanomedicine.
ABSTRACT
The vaccination for the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) is undergoing its final stages of analysis and testing. It is an impressive feat under the circumstances that we are on the verge of a potential breakthrough vaccination. This will help reduce the stress for millions of people around the globe, helping to restore worldwide normalcy. In this review, the analysis looks into how the new branch of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) came into the forefront of the world like a pandemic. This review will break down the details of what COVID-19 is, the viral family it belongs to and its background of how this family of viruses alters bodily functions by attacking vital human respiratory organs, the circulatory system, the central nervous system and the gastrointestinal tract. This review also looks at the process a new drug analogue undergoes, from (i) being a promising lead compound to (ii) being released into the market, from the drug development and discovery stage right through to FDA approval and aftermarket research. This review also addresses viable reasoning as to why the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine may have taken much less time than normal in order for it to be released for use.