Immunogenicity and efficacy of an mRNA vaccine expressing a virus-like particle spike antigen against SARS-CoV-2.

ABSTRACT: The COVID-19 pandemic spurred mRNA vaccine innovation, but new SARS-CoV-2 variants highlight the need for vaccines with improved potency and durability. This report presents a novel mRNA vaccine platform encoding virus-like particle antigens (mRNA-VLPs) that mimic native virus structures, aiming to boost antibody responses via enhanced B cell activation. In animal studies, mRNA-VLP vaccines generated stronger neutralizing antibody responses across multiple variants compared to conventional mRNA vaccines expressing native spike proteins. In non-human primates, these elevated antibodies lasted at least six months. An mRNA-VLP vaccine encoding the Omicron spike outperformed traditional mRNA vaccines in mice as both a monovalent and bivalent (with ancestral spike) formulation. In hamsters, eve

SUBMITTER: Laliberte JP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12714700 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature