The recent outbreak of the betacoronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has become a significant concern to public health care worldwide. As of August 19, 2020, more than 22,140,472 people are infected, and over 781,135 people have died due to this deadly virus. In the USA alone, over 5,482,602 people are currently infected, and more than 171,823 people have died. SARS-CoV-2 has shown a higher infectivity rate and a more extended incubation period as compared to previous coronaviruses. SARS-CoV-2 binds much more strongly than SARS-CoV to the same host receptor, angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). Previously, several methods to develop a vaccine against SARS-CoV or MERS-CoV have been tried with limited success. Since SARS-CoV-2 uses the spike (S) protein for entry to the host cell, it is one of the most preferred targets for making vaccines or therapeutics against SARS-CoV-2. In this review, we have summarised the characteristics of the S protein, as well as the different approaches being used for the development of vaccines and/or therapeutics based on the S protein.

最近爆​​发的 β 冠状病毒 SARS-CoV-2 已成为全球公共卫生保健的重大问题。截至 2020 年 8 月 19 日，已有超过 22,140,​​472 人被感染，超过 781,135 人死于这种致命病毒。仅在美国，目前就有超过 5,482,602 人感染，超过 171,823 人死亡。与之前的冠状病毒相比，SARS-CoV-2 表现出更高的传染性和更长的潜伏期。SARS-CoV-2 与同一宿主受体血管紧张素转换酶 2 (ACE2) 的结合比 SARS-CoV 更强。此前，已尝试过多种开发针对 SARS-CoV 或 MERS-CoV 疫苗的方法，但收效甚微。由于 SARS-CoV-2 使用刺突 (S) 蛋白进入宿主细胞，因此它是制造针对 SARS-CoV-2 的疫苗或疗法的最优选靶标之一。在这篇综述中，我们总结了 S 蛋白的特征，以及用于开发基于 S 蛋白的疫苗和/或疗法的不同方法。