The next generation of coronavirus vaccines: a graphical guide - Nature.com

These vaccines come in different types — some are composed of messenger RNA, others are inactivated versions of the coronavirus itself or some of its proteins — but all work by exposing the body to antigens (portions of the virus) to provoke an immune response without causing disease.

At least two teams, at the University of Washington in Seattle and at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in Pasadena, are making ‘mosaic’ vaccines: nanoparticles dotted with RBDs from SARS-CoV-2 and coronaviruses from the same family (called sarbecoviruses), such as SARS-CoV and others isolated from bats.

The company says it plans to apply for UK and Australian authorization this year, after a phase III trial showed the vaccine was safe and prompted a strong antibody response when used as a booster.

The vaccines developed by Pfizer–BioNTech and by Moderna (with the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases) consist of mRNA instructions for a modified version of spike packaged in a fatty nanoparticle.

By prompting immune responses at the point where SARS-CoV-2 enters the body — in the thin mucous membranes that line the nose and mouth — these vaccines could, in theory, stop the virus before it spreads.

Despite the flurry of research, current mRNA jabs such as the Moderna and Pfizer–BioNTech ones are likely to hold sway, says Matt Linley, analytics director at Airfinity, a life-sciences information firm in London.