Universal Bacterium-Vectored COVID-19 Vaccine Expressing Early SARS-CoV-2 Conserved Proteins Cross-Protects Against Late Variants in Hamsters.

ABSTRACT: Background/Objectives: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), has rapidly evolved, giving rise to multiple Variants of Concern-including Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and Omicron-which emerged independently across different regions. Licensed COVID-19 vaccines primarily target the highly mutable spike protein, resulting in reduced efficacy due to immune escape by emerging variants. Previously, we developed a live attenuated Francisella tularensis LVS ΔcapB single-vector platform COVID-19 vaccine, rLVS ΔcapB/MN, expressing the conserved membrane (M) and nucleocapsid (N) proteins from the early SARS-CoV-2 WA-01/2020 strain. In this study, we evaluate the efficacy of rLVS ΔcapB/MN

SUBMITTER: Jia Q 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12197694 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature