B-cell engineering: A promising approach towards vaccine development for COVID-19. (November 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Faiq, Muneeb A.
• Is Part Of: Medical hypotheses. Volume 144(2020)
• Publication Date: 2020-11
• Subjects: Vaccine -- CRISPR -- Genome editing -- COVID-19 -- Coronavirus -- B-cell -- Antibody; Medicine -- Periodicals; Medicine -- Periodicals; Médecine -- Périodiques; Medicine; Periodicals; 610
• DOI: 10.1016/j.mehy.2020.109948
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0306-9877

Abstract

Abstract: With the number of cases crossing six million (and more than three hundred and seventy thousand deaths) worldwide, there is a dire need of a vaccine (and repurposing of drugs) for SARS-CoV-2 disease (COVID-19). It can be argued that a vaccine may be the most efficient way to contain the spread of this disease and prevent its future onset. While many attempts are being made to design and develop a vaccine for SARS-CoV-2, pertinent technological hitches do exist. That is perhaps one of the reasons that we don't have vaccine for coronaviruses (including SARS-CoV-1 and MERS). Recently developed CRISPR-mediated genome editing approach can be repurposed into a cell-modification endeavor in addition to (and rather than) correcting defective parts of genome. With this premise, B-cells can be engineered into universal donor, antigen specific, perpetually viable, long lasting, non-oncogenic, relatively benign, antibody producing cells which may serve as an effective vaccine for SARS-CoV-2 and, by the same rationale, other viruses and pathogens.