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. 2021 Sep 30;29(2):1073–1078. doi: 10.1016/j.sjbs.2021.09.065

Table 2.

Benefits and Drawbacks of Immunogens Used in Vaccines (WHO, 2021).

Immunogen Description Benefits Drawbacks Examples
Inactivated virus Inactivated dead virus Triggers powerful antibody response Needs significant amount of virus and shows low or no cellular response Influenza, hepatitis A, and rabies
Viral subunit A pathogen-derived protein Fewer side effects compared to the whole virus (swelling or redness at the injection site) Complex process and may be poorly immunogenic Influenza
Viral vector Viral pathogen expressed on a safe virus, does not result in disease Fast development, powerful cellular response, and easier to produce Prior exposure to vector virus (eg. adenovirus) is likely to lower immunogenicity, certain vectors need boosting with another vector Ebola
Nucleic acid mRNA coding for a viral protein Fast development and powerful cellular immunity Reduced antibody response COVID-19