In order to stop the infection and transmission of the Omicron variant, developing the COVID-19 vaccine is a top global priority. The great potential of vaccine adjuvants to stop the transmission of the virus is a focus of researchers.

　　What is an adjuvant? "Vaccine adjuvants can stabilize antigens and activate immunity simultaneously," said Zhang Yonghui, a principal investigator in the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Tsinghua University.

　　The solution of the commonly used COVID-19 inactivated vaccine is mainly composed of the effective antigen, the main component of the vaccine that can trigger an immune response. Moreover, there is an adjuvant system mainly composed of aluminum hydroxide or aluminum phosphate, which acts as an adsorption and immune booster.

　　Adjuvants actually work long before the vaccine being injected into the body. For example, through adsorption, it is possible to avoid antigen "hanging on the walls of the blood vessels" and ensure full dose injection.