Monitor for COVID-19 vaccine resistance evolution during clinical trials

 

• David A. Kennedy ,
• Andrew F. Read

DOI: 

• https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3001000

PDF: https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.3001000&type=printable

Abstract

Although less common than the evolution of antimicrobial drug resistance, vaccine resistance can and has evolved. How likely is it that COVID-19 vaccines currently in development will be undermined by viral evolution? We argue that this can be determined by repurposing samples that are already being collected as part of clinical trials. Such information would be useful for prioritizing investment among candidate vaccines and maximizing the potential long-term impact of COVID-19 vaccines.

Funding: The ideas presented here were developed during work funded by the Institute of General Medical Sciences, National Institutes of Health and United Kingdom Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council as part of the NSF-NIH-USDA Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Diseases program (R01GM105244) to AFR and (R01GM140459) to DAK. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

Competing interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.3001000