Immunoinformatic based identification of cytotoxic T lymphocyte epitopes from the Indian isolate of SARS-CoV-2

The Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has turned into a pandemic with about a million confirmed cases worldwide. Being an airborne infection, it can be highly fatal to populous countries like India. This study sets to identify potential cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) epitopes in the SARS-CoV-2 Indian isolate which can acts act as an effective vaccine candidate for the majority of the Indian population. The immunogenicity and the foreignness of the epitopes towards the human body have to studies to further confirm their candidacy. The top-scoring epitopes were subjected to molecular docking studies to study their interactions with the corresponding human leukocyte antigen (HLA) system. The CTL epitopes were observed to bind at the peptide-binding groove of the corresponding HLA system, indicating their potency as a vaccine candidate. The identified epitopes can be subjected to further studies for the development of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine.