Approaches to Improve the Immunogenicity of Plasmid DNA-Based Vaccines against COVID-19

Abstract

Plasmid DNA-based vaccines are attracting considerable interest because of their potential as a platform technology that can be used for a variety of purposes from prevention to therapy. The COVID-19 pandemic has stimulated the development of this platform. The DNA vaccine against COVID-19, developed by Zydus Cadila, was the world’s first DNA vaccine approved for human vaccination. However, the problem of low immunogenicity of DNA vaccines has not yet been completely solved. This article will describe the authors’ experience in creating plasmid DNA-based vaccines against COVID-19, including the design of target antigens, artificial polyepitope T-cell immunogens, delivery of the resulting plasmid constructs using polycationic biodegradable polymers, and producing artificial self-assembled particles incorporating the recombinant protein and DNA vaccine.