Viral Immune Evasion Strategies and Their Impact on Antiviral Therapy and Vaccine Development: A Review

Viral immune evasion, pathogenesis, strategy and mechanisms amidst host defenses has been genetically labeled the ability of viruses to develop multiple strategies against host defenses for their survival persistence, replication inside the same infected cell and later on, transmission. This involves inhibition of interferon signaling as well as MHC antigen presentation up to immune checkpoint modulation leading to immune exhaustion. Therefore, it has made a major contribution towards viral pathogenesis and an enormous drawback in antiviral therapeutic intervention or prophylactic vaccine development so far. However, recent advances in molecular virology and immunology that reveal the most subtle host-virus interactions occurring within this framework have the potential to overcome the limitations of current therapeutic approaches. These advances will be achieved through a deeper understanding of these interactions, the further development of advanced tools such as immune surveillance agents and checkpoint inhibitors, and the development of more precise vaccines. This review summarizes recent advances in viral immune evasion mechanisms and explores their potential impact on the development of antiviral therapies and vaccines. To emphasize the importance of a deeper understanding of viral pathogenesis for the rational development of new therapeutic and preventive interventions, we combine basic insights with clinical applications.