s Potential Immunotherapy against SARS-CoV-2: Strategy and Status

SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus that was first reported in Wuhan, China in December 2019, has engrossed the world with immense distress. It has shattered the global healthcare system and has inflicted so much pain on humanity. COVID-19, the disease caused by a microscopic enemy, has now spread to almost all the countries in the world affecting millions of people and causing enormous casualties. World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11, 2019. As of June 15, 2020, almost 7.70 million people have already been infected globally with 428,000 reported casualties. In the United States alone, 2.14 million people have been infected and 117,000 people have succumbed to this pandemic. A multipronged approach has been launched towards combating this pandemic with the main focus on exhaustive screening, developing efficacious therapies, and vaccines for long-term immunity. Several pharmaceutical companies in collaboration with various academic institutions and governmental organizations have started investigating new therapeutics and repurposing approved drugs so as to find fast and affordable treatments against this disease. The present communication aims at highlighting the efforts that are currently underway to treat or prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection through immunotherapy. Emphasis has been laid on discussing the approaches and platforms that are being utilized for the speedy development of therapeutic antibodies and preventive vaccines against SARS-CoV-2. The manuscript also presents a detailed discussion regarding strategy, clinical status, and timeline for the development of safe and enduring immunotherapy against SARS-CoV-2. All the details pertaining to the clinical status of each candidate have been last updated on June 15, 2020.