We’re excited to announce the publication of our latest work in the Web Server issue of Nucleic Acids Research!

In this study, led by Jiaxuan Li and Shimin Shuai from COmics, we introduce CocoVax, the first open-access web server for codon and codon-pair deoptimization in live attenuated vaccine (LAV) design.

Codon deoptimization is a powerful synthetic biology strategy to rationally attenuate viruses by subtly altering their genetic code—without changing the proteins they produce. However, designing and evaluating these sequences has traditionally required specialized tools.

CocoVax addresses this gap by integrating:

  • A large viral genome database (1930 viruses across 15 host species)
  • Three deoptimization strategies (CPB, CAI, and combined)
  • A sequence evaluation module with multiple metrics
  • A curated library of 65 published codon-deoptimized vaccines

The platform is designed to support both basic research and vaccine development, and is freely accessible with no login required.

đź“ť Read the full paper:
https://doi.org/10.1093/nar/gkaf358

đź’» Try the web server:
https://comics.med.sustech.edu.cn/cocovax

We hope CocoVax will be a valuable tool for the community and accelerate the design of safe and effective vaccines!