Peptide-Based Vaccines Against Viruses: Current Platforms and Future Directions | Research

The takeaway

Peptide-based vaccines offer precise antigen targeting, safety, and scalability for viral pathogens, with advanced delivery systems and computational design accelerating development for emerging infectious diseases.

Fast and precise
Peptide vaccines can be computationally designed and rapidly manufactured for emerging viral threats — precision immunization for pandemic preparedness

What the researchers found

Peptide vaccines: precise antigen targeting, safety, scalability for viral pathogens. Advanced delivery (NPs, liposomes, VLPs) and computational design accelerating development. Challenges: immunogenicity, HLA diversity, adjuvant needs.

Why it matters

Pandemic preparedness requires rapid vaccine platforms. Peptide vaccines can be designed computationally and manufactured quickly for emerging viruses.

How the study worked

Narrative review of peptide vaccine platforms for viral pathogens, covering antigen design, delivery systems, computational methods, and clinical development.

What this study cannot tell us

Most peptide vaccines are still in clinical development. Immunogenicity remains a fundamental challenge requiring effective delivery/adjuvant solutions.

How to read the evidence

Comprehensive review of the field with clinical development data.

When this study was published

Published in 2025.

The bigger picture

Peptide vaccines represent the fastest-to-manufacture platform for pandemic response, with computational design enabling near-real-time antigen selection for new viral threats.

Questions still open

Will peptide vaccines achieve efficacy comparable to mRNA vaccines?
Can computational design solve the HLA diversity challenge?
Would universal influenza peptide vaccines be feasible?

Common questions

What is a peptide vaccine?

Instead of using whole viruses or mRNA, peptide vaccines use specific small protein pieces that teach the immune system exactly what to attack. They are safe, precise, and fast to manufacture.

Why aren't peptide vaccines more common?

Peptides alone don't stimulate strong immune responses. Researchers are solving this with nanoparticle delivery, new adjuvants, and computational design — making peptide vaccines increasingly competitive.

Read the original research

Advancing peptide-based vaccines against viral pathogens: a narrative review.

Therapeutic advances in infectious disease, 13, 20499361251411188

View on PubMed ↗Publisher’s paper ↗

Citation

Jahantigh, Hamid Reza; Rezanavaz Gheshlagh, Solaleh; Mafakher, Ladan; Ahmadi, Nahid; Shahbazi, Behzad; Ahmadi, Khadijeh. (2026). Advancing peptide-based vaccines against viral pathogens: a narrative review.. Therapeutic advances in infectious disease, 13, 20499361251411188. https://doi.org/10.1177/20499361251411188