A Bibliometric Analysis on Multi-epitope Vaccine Development Against SARS-CoV-2: Current Status, Development, and...

Area of Science:

• Vaccinology
• Immunoinformatics
• Computational Biology

Background:

• The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs) has diminished the efficacy of existing vaccines.
• Developing new vaccines is crucial to combat the evolving COVID-19 pandemic.
• Multi-epitope vaccines, identified through in silico methods, present a promising approach.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a bibliometric analysis of research on multi-epitope vaccines against SARS-CoV-2.
• To identify current trends, key players, and collaboration patterns in this field.
• To provide insights for future vaccine development strategies.

Main Methods:

• Bibliometric analysis of 102 publications on multi-epitope vaccines for SARS-CoV-2.
• Analysis of publication growth, global collaboration, prolific authors, and key journals.
• Keyword analysis to identify prominent research themes.

Main Results:

• Significant growth and global collaboration in multi-epitope vaccine research were observed.
• India led in publications, with notable collaborations between Pakistan-China and India-USA.
• Key research areas included immunoinformatics, epitope prediction, and the spike glycoprotein.

Conclusions:

• Advances in immunoinformatics and AI-driven epitope prediction are vital for developing effective multi-epitope vaccines.
• Strategies like nanoparticle systems, adjuvants, and real-time genomic surveillance can enhance immunogenicity and adaptability.
• This research provides a roadmap for future SARS-CoV-2 vaccine development against emerging variants.