English 
Italian RASSEGNE - Reviews
Volume:
Biochimica Clinica 2022; 46(1) 009-015
Pubblicato on-line:
October 1, 2021
DOI:
10.19186/BC_2021.064
SARS-CoV-2 e la nuova era dei vaccini – Parte I: Introduzione sulle tipologie dei vaccini e sui loro meccanismi di azione
SARS-CoV-2 and the new era of vaccines – Part I: Introduction to the available vaccine platforms and their mechanism of action
AUTORI
1Laboratorio di Biochimica Clinica, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria “Maggiore della Carità” di Novara
2Università degli Studi del Piemonte Orientale “Amedeo Avogadro”, Dipartimento di Scienze della Salute, Novara
ABSTRACT
SARS-CoV-2 and the new era of vaccines - Part I: Introduction to the available vaccine platforms and their mechanism of action
The introduction of vaccination programs aiming at inducing an active immune response against pathogens dates back to the first experimental approaches at the end of the 18th century and, since then, has represented a turning point in public health measures to contrast infections. The scientific improvements of the last few years in the field of molecular biology, immunology and genetic engineering have allowed to design new vaccines able to solve, at least in part, the hurdles of conventional vaccine platforms. From the first vaccines based on the inoculation of the whole microorganism, the scientific research has gone in the direction of platforms able to carry only a few or even a single antigenic component of the pathogen, ranging from subunit vaccines to those based on mRNA or DNA. This achievement has made vaccines easier and quicker to develop and, above all, much safer, and it has involved scientific fields that extend far beyond the attempt to fight infectious diseases, such as cancer research. The purpose of this review is to present an overview of the currently available vaccine platforms, their mechanism of action, and the advantages and pitfalls behind each approach.