Reverse vaccinology uses computational approaches to identify potential
vaccine candidates. With the increasing pace of genome sequencing, it is possible to
identify all potential antigens from any sequenced pathogen. Reverse vaccinology uses
computational data to identify potential antigens, express those potential antigens, and
then screen them further for protective immune response. Thus, reverse vaccinology
offers several advantages and enables identifying novel antigens even if the expression
level is low or not abundant. Besides, reverse vaccinology approaches offer reduced
time and reduced cost for the development of vaccines compared to conventional
vaccination methods. Such a timely, speedy, and economical process for developing
vaccines without compromising safety and immunogenicity is the urgent need of the
hour to combat many emerging pathogens, including SARS-CoV-2. This chapter
summarizes approaches and challenges in developing vaccines against many emerging
pathogens, including SARS-CoV-2, by employing this innovative strategy.
Keywords: Bioinformatics, COVID-19, Pathogen, Reverse vaccinology, SARSCoV-
2, Vaccine design.
