Design of multi‐epitope chimeric vaccine against Monkeypox virus and SARS‐CoV‐2: A vaccinomics perspective

Abstract

The current era we experience is full with pandemic infectious agents that no longer threatens the major local source but the whole globe. Almost the most emerging infectious agents are severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus‐2 (SARS CoV‐2), followed by monkeypox virus (MPXV). Since no approved antiviral drugs nor licensed active vaccines are yet available, we aimed to utilize immunoinformatics approach to design chimeric vaccine against the two mentioned viruses. This is the first study to deal with design divalent vaccine against SARS‐CoV‐2 and MPXV. ORF8, E and M proteins from Omicron SARS‐CoV‐2 and gp182 from MPXV were used as the protein precursor from which multi‐epitopes (inducing B‐cell, helper T cells, cytotoxic T cells and interferon‐ɣ) chimeric vaccine was contrived. The structure of the vaccine construct was predicted, validated, and docked to toll‐like receptor‐2 (TLR‐2). Moreover, its sequence was also used to examine the immune simulation profile and was then inserted into the pET‐28a plasmid for in silico cloning. The vaccine construct was probable antigen (0.543) and safe (non‐allergen) with strong binding energy to TLR‐2 (−1169.8 kcal/mol) and found to have significant immune simulation profile. In conclusion, the designed chimeric vaccine was potent and safe against SARS‐CoV‐2 and MPXV, which deserves further consideration.