Computation-aided novel epitope prediction by targeting spike protein's functional dynamics in Omicron

1 The ever-growing crisis imposed by Omicron The global corona virus disease 2019(COVID-19)pandemic caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2)has lasted for more than 3 years and resulted in about 657 million infections and 6.6 million deaths as of date 05 January,2023(https://covid19.who.int/).The latest variant of concern(VoC),Omicron,is leading a new wave of infections globally[1].Although small molecule inhibitors are emerging to show antiviral activities for SARS-CoV-2[2-3],only limited drugs have been approved(e.g.,remdesivir and baricitinib).Vaccination remains the preferred protection method,however,extra vaccine dose is often required to effectively neutralize Omicron[4];especially for the continuous evolution SARS-CoV-2 variants by constant mutations,escape from neutralizing antibodies is still a major concern that challenges the effectiveness of existing vaccines[5].This global public health crisis urgently demands developing effective antibodies against the Omicron.