Oh, patents! Inovio’s SARS CoV-2 DNA vaccine candidate (INO-4800) (1)

Copyright © Françoise Herrmann 

A deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) vaccine delivers an engineered plasmid directly to a cell. A plasmid is a small double-stranded DNA molecule, which is engineered to code for a specific target antigen and able to replicate independently of chromosomal DNA. In the case of COVID-19, the Inovio plasmid was engineered to code for the spike antigen of the SARS Coronavirus-2. Thus, once transfected, by the introduction of an engineered DNA molecule, the cell is instructed to produce a specific (harmless) antigen in vivo. Production in vivo of a (harmless) antigen, against which the body, in turn, mounts an immune reaction.  An immune reaction, consisting in the production of T-cells and antibodies, henceforth also able to recognize the SARS CoV-2 spikes attached to the virus, and in significant enough quantities to block replication of the (harmful) virus, when a person is infected.

On December 24, 2020, Inovio published the results of Clinical Testing Phase I (on healthy human volunteers) of the Inovio SARS CoV-2 DNA vaccine candidate: INO-4800. Succinctly, the vaccine candidate was found 100% effective in triggering a strong immune response, in all 38 vaccinated subjects. The INO-4800 vaccine candidate also presented an excellent tolerability and safety profile (Tebas, et al., 2020). Funded by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), the Inovio (INO-4800) DNA vaccine candidate trials move on to Phase II of the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) approval process, for bringing drugs to market.

Compared to the Pfizer and Moderna mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, currently deployed in the US, Great Britain and Canada, the Inovio SARS CoV-2 DNA vaccine candidate is touted as having the advantage of requiring no refrigeration, at all.

The development of the Inovio SARS CoV-2 vaccine candidate, as well as future(1) Inovio COVID-19 treatments, rely on the prior development of the company's patented DNA vaccines, against the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) coronavirus, the human papillomavirus (HPV) and influenza viruses, as well as on the development of  cancer tumor-fighting drugs, and the treatment of HPV-related diseases, using the company's proprietary DNA monoclonal antibody (dMAb™) biotechnology.

 The following sample patents, assigned to Inovio, cover various aspects of the subsumed biotechnologies.

• US10016497 - MERS-CoV vaccine.
• US10087240 - DNA antibody constructs and method of using same.
• US10166288 - Vaccines having an antigen and interleukin-21 as an adjuvant.
• US10226526 - Vaccines for human papillomavirus and methods for using the same.
• US10232030 - Vaccines for human papillomavirus and methods for using the same.
• US10398769 - Influenza nucleic acid molecules and vaccines made therefrom.
• US10548971 - MERS-CoV vaccine.

The Youtube video below introduces Inovio's COVID 19 vaccine candidate. 

Note (1) Future Inovio drug development, for COVID 19, is under contract with the US Department of Defense (DoD), Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense (JPEO-CBRND), and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).

References

CEPI - Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations https://cepi.net/ 

FDA - The Drug Development Process - https://www.fda.gov/patients/learn-about-drug-and-device-approvals/drug-development-process

Inovio Pharmaceuticals (Company website) www.inovio.com

Inovio DNA medicines technology https://www.inovio.com/dna-medicines-technology/

Pablo Tebas 1, ShuPing Yang 1, Jean D. Boyer 1, Emma L. Reuschel, Ami Patel, Aaron Christensen-Quick et al. (2020)  Safety and immunogenicity of INO-4800 DNA vaccine against SARS-CoV-2: A preliminary report of an open-label, Phase 1 clinical trial. EClinical Medicine – The Lancet, December 23w 2020.  DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eclinm.2020.100689  https://www.thelancet.com/journals/eclinm/article/PIIS2589-5370(20)30433-8/fulltext

Terminology - WOTTIES (3) - Time Magazine

 Copyright © Françoise Herrmann

In 2020, the big dictionaries of the English language are not the only ones publishing their usual, end-of-the-year, selection of the Word of the Year (WOTY), together with lists of the runners-up (WOTTIES). Time Magazine also kept an ear out, this year, listening for new, repurposed or high-frequency words of the English language. Words of the year that capture a pandemic year of previously uncharted territory, adjustment, coping, resilience, and social activism. Social activism, under the banner of Black Lives Matter. A movement against racism in the US, plagued with shocking incidents of unchecked police violence that stunned the whole nation. The following is the Time Magazine list of 2020 WOTTIES—unabridged.  

“Antiracist, adjective: Relating to people or actions working against systemic racism and the historical oppression of marginalized groups.

BIPOC, initialism: A term for Black, Indigenous and other people of color intended to highlight, in particular, the identities and experiences of Black and Native American communities in the U.S.

Blursday, noun: The fuzzy merging of time since the pandemic shut down so much of the world down, often making it difficult to determine what day of the week it is.

Bubble, noun: Also known as a pod; a small group of individuals who follow the same rules and standards for behavior—and can thus spend time together—during the pandemic, popularized by the isolation zone the NBA created at Disney World to protect basketball players.

Covidiot, noun: A pejorative term for someone who ignores health and safety guidelines intended to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Defund, verb: To withdraw financial support, as in calls to defund the police, a movement promoting a public-safety model that shifts resources from law enforcement to community-led social programs and initiatives.

Doomscroll, verb: To addictively thumb through the deluge of bad news shared on social media in 2020, often undertaken at bedtime.

Entanglement, noun: A reference to an extramarital affair, popularized when Jada Pinkett Smith discussed an instance of marital infidelity on an episode of her Red Table Talk show with her husband Will Smith.

Karen, noun: A colloquial term for a white woman weaponizing her privilege, often at the expense or well-being of a BIPOC individual. When used as a meme, it’s often paired with images of a short, angled and heavily highlighted hairstyle that’s been dubbed the “Can I speak to the manager” haircut.

On mute, idiom: Used when a fellow video-call participant is speaking without their microphone on, as in “you’re on mute,” a refrain popularized this year on Zoom calls across the world.

Quarantini, noun: The day or nighttime cocktail many have used to unwind, amid remote work and COVID-19 lockdowns.

Simp, noun, verb (simping): A colloquial term popularized on TikTok, for a man who is overly accommodating or devoted to someone (usually a woman); or a very devoted fan.

Social distancing, noun: A set of measures implemented to prevent the spread of a contagious disease, the usage of which increased by 400% this year, as authorities encouraged people to keep a safe space from people who are not in their household or “bubble” during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Superspreader, noun, adjective: A person or event responsible for transmitting an infectious disease to a large number of people.

Zoombombing, noun, verb: the unplanned and unwanted intrusion of someone, usually an Internet troll, into a video conference that they were not invited to.”

"Karen is asking for the Manager."

References

Black Lives Matter  https://blacklivesmatter.com/

Lang, C. (Dec. 14, 2020) Social Distancing, Doomscroll and Defund: Words that defined 2020.  https://time.com/5919615/words-that-defined-2020/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=sfmc&utm_campaign=newsletter+brief-pm+default+ac&utm_content=+++20201216+++body&et_rid=110884839

FDA Advisory Committee-recommended! The Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.

 Copyright © Françoise Herrmann

Moderna filed for an Emergency Use Authorization from the FDA on November 30th, 2020, just a few days after Pfizer-BionTech. On December 17, 2020 the request was reviewed by a panel of twenty experts (Hearing Announcement). At the conclusion of the hearing, the Committee of experts voted 20 to 0 to recommend the Moderna vaccine for FDA Emergency Use Authorization.   

Moderna, a biotechnology company headquartered in Boston MA, is specialized in the design of mRNA as a vaccine and drug. Since their foundation, in 2010, they have designed mRNA vaccines and treatments for a host of diseases and conditions, such as methylmalonic acidemia, Zika and cytomegalovirus (CMV) (Moderna Clinical Trials). Within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic Moderna has officially stated that they will not enforce any of their intellectual property rights against others, who are also part of the scientific emergency response, designing vaccines and treatments for COVID 19, and that they will license the technology post-pandemic (Moderna Statement on IP). 

The Moderna COVID-19 vaccine is designated mRNA- 1273. It is currently undergoing phase 3 clinical testing. Like the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, it is an mRNA vaccine, which means that Moderna scientists have also engineered mRNA to code for the SARS CoV2 surface spike protein. The engineered mRNA strands are then delivered via Lipid NanoParticle (LNP) technology, in an intramuscular injection, to human cells, where they instruct cells to produce (harmless) spike glycoproteins, that will trigger an immune response. An immune response that will then be able to recognize viral spikes attached to the (dangerous) CoV-2, in view of binding and preventing the coronavirus replication, and thus preventing infection with COVID-19 (see diagram below).

 One of the most significant differences between the Moderna and Pfizer BioNTech vaccines is the issue of cold storage. The Moderna vaccine does not have to be stored at extremely cold temperatures. Thus, the Moderna vaccine is a good candidate for Third World countries, providing that costs, or availability, become commensurate with Third World public health budgets. 

The mRNA-1273 vaccine is made available as a frozen suspension, in multi-dose vials, each containing ten 0.5 mL doses. Two 0.5 mL injections are required, 28 days apart (FDA Briefing Document). The first is intended to prime the production of antibodies. The second is to boost, or significantly increase, the effectiveness of the vaccine's protection. 

The following US design patents, listed on the Moderna website, cover the various inventions specifically related to research and development of the Moderna mRNA COVID -19 vaccine.

• US 10703789 - Modified polynucleotides for the production of secreted proteins
• US 10702600 - Betacoronavirus mRNA vaccine
• US 10577403 - Modified polynucleotides for the production of secreted proteins
• US 10442756 - Compounds and compositions for intracellular delivery of therapeutic agents
• US 10266485 - Compounds and compositions for intracellular delivery of therapeutic agents
• US 10064959 - Modified nucleosides, nucleotides, and nucleic acids, and uses thereof
• US 9868692 - Compounds and compositions for intracellular delivery of therapeutic agents

According to Moderna CEO Stéphane Blancel, in a 2013 TEDx lecture, Moderna is a company that knew they had a game-changing idea, when they started researching the possibility of mRNA as a drug, whether for vaccination, or the design of drugs for cancer or rare metabolic and genetic diseases (Blancel, TEDx 2013). What they probably did not anticipate, seven years ago, was just how soon their drug contributions would be saving the world from potential extinction and economic collapse, within the context of the COVID 19 pandemic. 

Most importantly, Moderna is also leveling the playing field a bit, setting its agenda on rare diseases, and making vaccination possible, within the context of the COVID 19 pandemic, in the Third World. Thus, Moderna is slated to prevent much human suffering in traditionally forsaken places, and to design treatments for previously incurable patients.

Cheers Moderna! 

References

Blancel, S.  (Dec. 27, 2013) What if mRNA could be a drug? TEDX lecture - Youtube video  https://youtu.be/T4-DMKNT7xI   

FDA ADvisory Committee  hearing on Dec. 17. 9 to 6 pm -  For Moderna Vaccine – Public hearing  https://www.fda.gov/advisory-committees/advisory-committee-calendar/vaccines-and-related-biological-products-advisory-committee-december-17-2020-meeting-announcement

FDA Briefing Document - Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine  https://www.fda.gov/media/144434/download

Moderna (Company website)   https://www.modernatx.com

Moderna’s mRNA technology    https://www.modernatx.com/modernas-mrna-technology

Moderna’s IP (for mRNA & delivery technologies).   https://www.modernatx.com/mrna-technology/modernas-intellectual-property

Moderna Statement of IP matters during COVID-19 pandemic.   https://investors.modernatx.com/news-releases/news-release-details/statement-moderna-intellectual-property-matters-during-covid-19

Moderna Clinical Trials  https://www.modernatx.com/pipeline/modernas-mrna-clinical-trials-cmv-mma-zika-several-types-cancer-and-other-diseases

Oh patents! In silico 3D-modeling for drug design

Copyright © Françoise Herrmann

Pharmaceutical R&D includes in vitro (test-tube), in vivo (live, animal or human) testing, and fairly recently in silico (computer) 3D-modeling of molecular interactions, for the design of vaccines and drugs.

Within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, all of the groundwork for the accelerated vaccine development, currently underway, was launched early. Indeed, it was as early as January 12, 2020, that Chinese Health authorities made public the complete sequencing of the new coronavirus (2019 n-CoV), or Wuhan virus, as it was then called, prior to being officially designated the SARS CoV-2 by the World Health Organization (CCDCP, 2020; CAS, 2020, Institut Pasteur in Shanghai, 2020). Sequenced at lightning speed, using Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) (Shang, Oct. 2020), the Chinese preemptive release of the SARS CoV-2 virus genomes, crucial to modern drug and vaccine development, included further research. Research, such as the description of the virus (a single-strand RNA virus, belonging to the Betacoraonavirus group), identification of the S-protein as critical for binding to the host cell receptor, therefore designated as the prime target of vaccine and drug treatments, and comparative data on both the suspected origin of the virus in bats, and transmission to humans, via the infected animals of the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market, in Wuhan (Staff, CCDCP, Jan 2020; Shi, Oct. 2020).

In turn, the Chinese public release of genomic information prompted immediate and unprecedented scientific collaboration across frontiers. The collaboration to develop vaccine and drug candidates was both immediate and unprecedented, in the face of a documented emergency. Documented, because the genomic data, released from China, included supporting data on how robust the role of the viral S-protein in securing entry into human cells. An entry point where the virus could replicate, attacking the lungs and other organs of infected persons, prior to triggering massive inflammatory responses that were fatal, when they could not be prevented.  

Drug or vaccine development at the genomic level relies significantly on in silico 3D modeling, in view of supporting such queries as molecular dynamics simulating receptor molecule and substance; secondary, tertiary and quaternary protein structure prediction, binding site prediction, homology modeling for analyzing previously unknown protein function, protein threading (fold recognition) in protein modeling. In sum, programs supporting simulations for comparing nucleic acids, and the search for existing drugs and their targets, that might potentially be repurposed.  

One such patented in silico 3D-modeling system, used for enzyme modeling is called  Catalophore,™. This system was actually used in January 2020 by Innnophore, an Austrian company, specialized in enzyme discovery, to search for already designed protease inhibitors that could also bind to the SARS CoV-2, and be repurposed as an effective antiviral treatment for COVID-19 (Gruber, C & G. Steinkellner, Jan 23, 2020; Wang, 2020).  

The technology used for this purpose, embodied in the Catalophore™ enzyme modeling system, is patented in the US utility patent application US2015302142A1, titled Determining novel enzymatic functionalities using three-dimensional point clouds representing physicochemical properties of protein cavities.

Below, the January 2020 Catalophore™ modeling of the SARS CoV-2 protease point clouds, showing favored cavities where ligands could bind for inhibiting CoV-2 protease activity, thus deactivating virus replication. [Innophore, Jan 23, 2020]. In turn, the Innophore emergency response team searched their point cloud databases for proteins with similar physicochemical configurations and known protease inhibitors to see if any of them could also bind to the SARS CoV-2 protease. Lopinavir, a previously approved HIV protease inhibitor, was then identified as the best match for inhibiting the SARS CoV-2 protease (Gruber & Steinkellner, Jan 23, 2020).  

With FDA authorization granted last week for emergency use of the Pfizer-BioNTech BNT162b2 vaccine, and the upcoming review, on Dec. 17th, 2020, of the Moderna mRNA-1273 vaccine, the concerted emergency response of scientists worldwide for the development of treatments and vaccines, able to halt the spread of  COVID -19, offers the glimpse of a real triumph. In other words, hope exists for effective prevention of the spread of COVID-19, at the conclusion of very grim news for the year 2020, and unspeakable statistics of the human toll. 

References

Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). https://english.cas.cn/

Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CCDCP).   http://www.chinacdc.cn/en/

Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CCDCP) - COVID-19.   http://www.chinacdc.cn/en/COVID19/

CCDCP - Staff (Jan, 23, 2020) Study reveals how novel coronavirus infects humans.   http://www.china.org.cn/china/2020-01/23/content_75643109.htm

Chinese Center for Disease Control (Wuhan satellite).   https://www.natureindex.com/institution-outputs/china/wuhan-center-for-disease-prevention-and-control/52ae6a29140ba06f3d000003 

Gruber, C and G. Steinkellner (Jan. 23, 2020) Coronavirus COVID-19, formerly called Wuhan coronavirus and 2019-nCoV: What we can find out on a structural bioinformatics level.  (Austria)   https://innophore.com/2019-ncov/

Innophore (company website) https://innophore.com/

Institut Pasteur of Shanghai - Chinese Academy of Sciences.   http://english.shanghaipasteur.cas.cn/

Karlin-Smith, S. (Jan. 29, 2020) U.S. officials praise Chinese transparency on virus — up to a point.   https://www.politico.com/news/2020/01/29/officials-praise-china-transparency-virus-108926

SARS CoV-2 – Wikipedia   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Severe_acute_respiratory_syndrome_coronavirus_2

Shang, Y. (October 2020) Next-generation sequencing in  SARS CoV- 2 identification. http://www.chinacdc.cn/en/COVID19/202011/P020201119531938682677.pdf

Shi, W. (October 2020) Genetic sequencing reveals natural origin, early spread and infectomes of SARSCoV-2 in China.      http://www.chinacdc.cn/en/COVID19/202011/P020201119531353047965.pdf

Wang, J. (2020) Fast Identification of Possible Drug Treatment of Coronavirus Disease-19 (COVID-19) through Computational Drug Repurposing Study  - J. Chem. Inf. Model. 2020, 60, 6, 3277–3286  https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.jcim.0c00179#

WHO COVID -19 Timeline  (Archived). https://www.who.int/news/item/27-04-2020-who-timeline---covid-19

WHO (Jan 12, 2020) Novel Coronavirus – China. https://www.who.int/csr/don/12-january-2020-novel-coronavirus-china/en

Wuhan Institute of Virology http://english.whiov.cas.cn/                  

FDA Advisory Committee-recommended! The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine

 Copyright © Françoise Herrmann

On December 10, 2020, the US Federal Drug Administration (FDA) Vaccine Advisory Committee recommended an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for the COVID-19 BNT162b2 vaccine, developed and manufactured by Pfizer-BioNTech, in Germany. Thus, the BNT162b2 vaccine has cleared a major hurdle to become the first, long-awaited, FDA-authorized vaccine in the US, designed for the prevention of COVID-19, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).  A virus that has infected, to date, close to 70 million people worldwide (1.5 million in the US), claiming more than 1.5 million lives worldwide (close to 300 thousand in the US) (WHO Dashboard; JohnHopkins CoV Resource Center). A virus, now raging a second time, that is also paralyzing world economies.

The FDA Vaccine Advisory Committee recommendation comes exactly one week after the United Kingdom authorized the same vaccine for a mass vaccination campaign, on December 3^rd; and one day after authorization in Canada, on December 9^th. The votes, recommending emergency vaccine use in the US, cast by 17 of the 23 expert scientists on the FDA Vaccine Advisory Committee, kickstarts the FDA authorization process. A process that escalates the Advisory Committee recommendation to the FDA Commissioner, Stephen Hall, who has to sign off on the authorization for emergency use, before US Marshal-escorted shipments of the vaccine, from Germany to every US State, can begin, and Operation Warp Speed kicks off. Vaccinations would then be administered approximately 96 hours, following FDA authorization (Smith & Rahhal, Dec 10, 2020).

The Pfizer-BioNtech COVID-19 vaccine is a nucleoside-modified messenger ribonucleic acid (modRNA) type vaccine (FDA - Pfizer-BioNTech). This means that to produce the vaccine an mRNA strand was modified to code for the coronavirus spike glyco-protein (S). The spike viral glycoprotein S is the red tentacle-like glycoprotein, represented on the surface the SARS coronavirus-2, that gives the virus its unique profile (see image). Once engineered, and covered with protective lipid nanoparticle (NP) carriers, the modRNA strands are then injected into the human body, where the message to produce (harmless) glyco-protein spikes is delivered within human cells. The production of spike glyco-proteins is then believed to trigger an immune response, where the human body creates antibodies against the (harmless) intruding glyco-protein spikes. Antibodies, which will then circulate, ready to mount an attack, in case a person is actually infected with the SARS coronavirus 2, since the antibodies will be able to recognize the glyco-protein spikes, attached to the surface of the (dangerous ) virus, for the purposes of binding to the virus and preventing its replication (extrapolated from Weintraub & Padilla, June 21 2020).

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is supplied in a multi-dose (5-dose) vial stored at extremely low temperature, between -80°C to -60°C (- 112°F to -76°F)].  Once thawed and diluted into five, 0.3 mL, doses, the vaccine has to be injected within 6 hours. Thus, the vaccine’s temperature storage requirements make it difficult to transport and deliver, not to mention almost impossible to use in Third World countries where facilities for such extremely cold storage might not be readily available. The vaccine is otherwise administered as a series of two, 30 µg (0.3 mL) doses, via intramuscular injection, 21 days apart (FDA - Pfizer-BioNTech). Another FDA Advisory Committee recommended that vaccinations in the US begin with health care workers, the elderly in nursing homes, and the staff taking care of them.  

Different sorts of bio-engineering technologies are invoked in the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. The Lipid nanoparticle (NP) carrier technology for the modRNA strands is, for example, recited in the following US utility patent applications and patents, granted to BioNtech.

• US2020/0155671 – Particles comprising a shell with RNA.
• US2018/0263907 - Lipid Particle Formulations for Delivery of RNA and Water-Soluble Therapeutically Effective Compounds to a Target Cell.
• US2017/0273907 – Stable formulations of lipids and liposomes.
• US10576146 – Particles comprising a shell with RNA.
• US10485884 – RNA formulation for immunotherapy.
• US9950065 – Particle comprising a shell with RNA.

References

FDA Briefing Document  - Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine (Dec. 10, 2020).   https://www.fda.gov/media/144245/download

John Hopkins CoV Resource Center.     https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html

Smith, J, and N. RAhhal (Dec 10, 2020) FDA panel votes to give emergency approval to Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine - but the shot won't ship to Americans until the agency signs off and a final verdict could take DAYS. DailyMail.com.      https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9039119/  

Weintraub, K.  and R. Padilla (June 21, 2020) Vaccines are not all created equal: A variety of ways to stop the virus that causes COVID-19.      https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/health/2020/06/21/different-technologies-developing-vaccine-against-covid-19/5318458002/

WHO  Coronavirus Disease (COVID 19) Dashboard.   https://covid19.who.int/?gclid=CjwKCAiAq8f-BRBtEiwAGr3DgTBY2t_njp3yW4kHF--UtD3vhq5bCvzrTIAjtppWIC9P-J5FRvmtQhoCI-EQAvD_BwE

Terminology -WOTTIES (2) - Collins Dictionary 2020 shortlisted Words Of The Year

Copyright © Françoise Herrmann

The Collins Dictionary shortlisted Words Of The Year (i.e., the runner-up WOTTIES) are no less interesting than the Word Of The Year, winner of them all. This year’s shortlist is predictably reflective of the COVID-19 pandemic, with selected terms such as coronavirus, keyworker, furlough, and self-isolate. 

However, the Collins shortlisted 2020 WOTTIES also capture other key events that punctuated the year 2020. Events, such as those sparked by one too many horrifying police injustices, resulting in spontaneous social upheaval in support of Black Lives Matter (BLM). The shortlist also includes the unprecedented popularity of TikTocking doctors, reaching out to hundreds of thousands of teenagers with one-minute sex-education tips, also seen, dancing off the stress of 24-hour shifts at overcrowded, understaffed, and under-equipped, Intensive Care Units (ICUs). Even the neologism MeGxit, mapped on Brexit, referring to an unusual defection from the inner circles of the British Crown, was shortlisted.

Below, the Collins definitions for the 2020 WOTTIES shortlisted, together with the fabulously animated GIFs for BLM (Black Lives Matter), and for coronavirus (above), both directly imported from the Collins website.

• BLM abbreviation for Black Lives Matter: a movement that campaigns against racially motivated violence and oppression.  
  
• coronavirus: (noun) any group of viruses that cause infectious illnesses of the respiratory tract, including COVID-19.
• keyworker: (noun) an employee in a profession considered essential to the functioning society.
• furlough: (noun) a temporary laying-off of employees, usually because there is insufficient work to occupy them.
• social distancing: (noun) maintaining a certain distance between onself and other people in order to prevent infection with a disease.
• Tiktoker: (noun) a person who regularly shares or appears in videos on TikTok®.
• self-isolate: (verb) to quarantine oneself if one has or suspects one has a contagious disease.
• mukbang: (noun) a video or webcast in which the host eats a large quantity of food for the entertainment of viewers.
• MEGxit: (noun) the withdrawal of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex from royal duties.

Reference

Collins 2020 Word of the Year:  Shortlisted words - https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/woty

Terminology - WOTTIES (1) - Collins Dictionary 2020 Word Of The Year

Copyright © Françoise Herrmann

Each year, Collins Dictionary of the English Language selects the Word Of The Year, referred to as the WOTY, an acronym that rhymes with “potty”. The Word Of The Year is selected, based on the significance of the recorded number of searches for a particular term, during the year. Unsurprisingly, this year’s WOTY is pandemic-related. 

Indeed, Collins’ 2020 WOTY is Lockdown, a word that logged more than one quarter-million queries, compared to just 4000, in 2019. A word, according to Shariatmadari, whose usage has also squarely migrated, from the domain of incarceration to public health (Shariatmadari, Nov. 10, 2020).

Collins' 2020 definition of the term lockdown is the following:

Lockdown:  the containment measure implemented by governments around the world to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. 

A second, 2020 definition of the term lockdown appears on the animated GIF for the winning WOTY, imported below, directly from the Collins website.  

References

The Collins Word Of The Year 2020 is ….. https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/woty  

Shariatmadari, D.  (Nov. 10, 2020) The year of the lockdown Collins Dictionary Language Lover’s Blog. https://blog.collinsdictionary.com/language-lovers/the-year-of-lockdown/