Nanotechnology shows promise for next-generation vaccines in the fight against COVID-19

COVID-19 is possibly a game changer for nanotechnology. There are currently no licensed DNA and mRNA vaccines; therefore, if any of the COVID-19 candidates are successful, this might be the push nanotechnology needs for vaccine development. DNA, mRNA, and recombinant protein delivered into the targeted host cells to build immunity against the coronavirus would not have been feasible without nanoparticles as a delivery vehicle. Nanoparticles provide the solutions to address the unmet delivery challenges associated with the use of naked DNA plasmids or mRNA for vaccine development. Such solutions provide the ability to deliver DNA plasmids or mRNA vaccine in areas previously unreachable. In addition, nanotechnology-based vaccines are easy to design, synthesize, or scale up in larger volume compared to the traditional vaccine approaches (e.g., inactivated and live-attenuated strains). Nanotechnology thus has great potential to be a vital tool for tackling the COVID-19 outbreak and may be a crucial technology to prevent future infectious disease outbreaks.