This page covers subunit, conjugated, recombinant, and toxoid vaccines.
‘Conjugate’ means (click here) ‘connected’ or ‘joined’. In the early days of polysaccharide vaccines (made using sugars from the surface of bacteria), it was found that they did not work well in babies and young children. Researchers discovered that they worked much better if the polysaccharide was attached (conjugated) to something else that they knew created a strong immune response. In most conjugate vaccines, the polysaccharide is attached to diphtheria or tetanus toxoid protein (see ‘Toxoid vaccines’ above). The immune system recognises these proteins very easily and this helps to generate a stronger immune response to the polysaccharide. On product information sheets the diphtheria toxoid is often called ‘CRM197 carrier protein’, because it is almost the same as diphtheria toxoid but not quite....
I sincerely believe the successful vaccine with be a killed virus while using enough of the exterior of the cell to prompt the immune response. I am curious as to the degree there is an immune response. The virus elicits a very strong immune response that causes severe illness and death. The new drugs administered during treatment are rolling back that strong response to allow for greater survivability of the virus. I have to believe the vaccine might elicit a similar but somewhat subdued dynamic during the immune response. I have to believe some of the medications currently used on the virus should be on standby for vaccine recipients.
I also believe people will need booster shots for this virus. I have read an article whereby natural immunity lasts about three months after recovering from the initial infection. That will be better known when the vaccine is being administered to many people.
I hope the Russian scientists testing their vaccine in the Philippines are also preparing to treat some severe responses to the vaccine with anti-inflammatories that can be taken by mouth and perhaps an anti-coagulant in some instances.
We may be in for a rough ride with the vaccines that are produced. The mRNA (messenger RNA) vaccine will be the first of it's kind. I am looking forward to it's final stage testing. This is more engineering than will take place with any other standard method to date. If any one of the vaccines have a chance at being a cure that may be the mRNA variety. It has a chance to provide lasting results in only two injections.
I do see vaccines as part of the initiative to eradicate SARS-CoV-2 from Earth.
