Beta Spike-Presenting SARS-CoV-2 Virus-like Particle Vaccine Confers Broad Protection against Other VOCs in Mice.

ABSTRACT: Virus-like particles (VLPs) are non-infectious and serve as promising vaccine platforms because they mimic the membrane-embedded conformations of fusion glycoproteins on native viruses. Here, we employed SARS-CoV-2 VLPs (SMEN) presenting ancestral, Beta, or Omicron spikes to identify the variant spike that elicits potent and cross-protective immune responses in the highly sensitive K18-hACE2 challenge mouse model. A combined intranasal and intramuscular SMEN vaccine regimen generated the most effective immune responses to significantly reduce disease burden. Protection was primarily mediated by antibodies, with minor but distinct contributions from T cells in reducing virus spread and inflammation. Immunization with SMEN carrying ancestral spike resulted in 100, 75, or 0% protection agains

SUBMITTER: Ullah I 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11435481 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature