Implementation of immuno-chemoinformatics approaches to construct multi-epitope for vaccine development against Omicron and Delta SARS-CoV-2 variants

ABSTRACT

Background: The new coronavirus is still a life-threatening menace, because of its changing nature and capacity to produce many mutations to bypass the immune system. The vaccination is the first effective weapon against COVID-19. Aim: The study's goal was to design a multi-epitope peptide vaccine (MEPV) for a mix of Omicron and Delta Coronavirus strains using immuno-chemoinformatics tools. Methods: To create the vaccine epitopes, seven proteins from the Omicron and Delta coronavirus strains were selected (ORF1a, ORF3a, surface protein, membrane protein, ORF7a, ORF8, and nucleocapsid protein). Antigenicity, toxicity, and allergenicity of the epitopes were evaluated. Results: The designed vaccine is made up of 534 amino acids that are homogeneous, antigenic, and non-toxic. Sticky restriction enzymes (XhoI and XbaI) were used to incorporate the MEPV into the pmirGLO luciferase vector. SnapGene server was used to create primers for PCR testing. Developing the MEPV is a terrific cost-effective strategy. The created MEPV's physiochemical properties have been determined to be basic, hydrophobic, and stableImmunogenicity and immune response profiles of the developed vaccine candidate were better assessed using in silico immunological simulations. Conclusions: We advocate moving the built vaccine to the biological validation step, where it may test our findings using appropriate model organisms.