Reverse vaccinology, also termed antibody- or epitope-based vaccinology, is a new approach in vaccine research and discovery. It integrates genome sequencing, proteomics, immunology, and bioinformatics and is based on the principles of reverse pharmacology. Reverse vaccinology focuses deeply on pathogenic biology and paves the way for groundbreaking vaccine discoveries. This concept was first used to develop a vaccine against group B meningococcus.
Numerous programs and software are employed in reverse vaccinology, including NERVE, Vaxign, RANKPEP, and more. The steps in reverse vaccinology include Sequencing the pathogen’s genome, analyzing the genome sequence, performing proteomics analysis, and conducting immunological validation. Employing reverse vaccinology approaches offers the solution for rapidly and efficiently identifying vaccine targets.