Title | Using the common cold virus as a naturally occurring vaccine to prevent COVID-19: Lessons from Edward Jenner. | ||
Author | Sotgia, Federica; Lisanti, Michael P | ||
Journal | Aging (Albany NY) | Publication Year/Month | 2020-Oct |
PMID | 33049711 | PMCID | PMC7732292 |
Affiliation | 1.Translational Medicine, School of Science, Engineering and Environment (SEE), University of Salford, Greater Manchester, United Kingdom. |
Three recent papers published in Nature, Science and Cell, all present clear evidence that there is cross-reactive T-cell immunity between human coronaviruses (229E, NL63, OC43, and HKU1), linked with the common cold, and SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of COVID-19. Can we use this information to design and build a new vaccine based on the less pathogenic, common cold coronaviruses, for the prevention of COVID-19? If we look at the history of medicine and vaccine development, from the point of view of Edward Jenner, the answer just might be yes.