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Immunogenicity of a new gorilla adenovirus vaccine candidate for COVID-19.

ABSTRACT: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by the emergent severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) threatens global public health, and there is an urgent need to develop safe and effective vaccines. Here, we report the generation and the preclinical evaluation of a novel replication-defective gorilla adenovirus-vectored vaccine encoding the pre-fusion stabilized Spike (S) protein of SARS-CoV-2. We show that our vaccine candidate, GRAd-COV2, is highly immunogenic both in mice and macaques, eliciting both functional antibodies that neutralize SARS-CoV-2 infection and block Spike protein binding to the ACE2 receptor, and a robust, T helper (Th)1-dominated cellular response. We show here that the pre-fusion stabilized Spike antigen is superior to the wild type in inducing ACE2-interfering, SARS-CoV-2-neutralizing antibodies. To face the unprecedented need for vaccine manufacturing at a massive scale, different GRAd genome deletions were compared to select the vector backbone showing the highest productivity in stirred tank bioreactors. This preliminary dataset identified GRAd-COV2 as a potential COVID-19 vaccine candidate, supporting the translation of the GRAd-COV2 vaccine in a currently ongoing phase I clinical trial (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04528641).

SUBMITTER: Capone S

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8062434 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Immunogenicity of a new gorilla adenovirus vaccine candidate for COVID-19.

Capone Stefania S Raggioli Angelo A Gentile Michela M Battella Simone S Lahm Armin A Sommella Andrea A Contino Alessandra Maria AM Urbanowicz Richard A RA Scala Romina R Barra Federica F Leuzzi Adriano A Lilli Eleonora E Miselli Giuseppina G Noto Alessia A Ferraiuolo Maria M Talotta Francesco F Tsoleridis Theocharis T Castilletti Concetta C Matusali Giulia G Colavita Francesca F Lapa Daniele D Meschi Silvia S Capobianchi Maria M Soriani Marco M Folgori Antonella A Ball Jonathan K JK Colloca Stefano S Vitelli Alessandra A

Molecular therapy : the journal of the American Society of Gene Therapy 20210423 8

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by the emergent severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) threatens global public health, and there is an urgent need to develop safe and effective vaccines. Here, we report the generation and the preclinical evaluation of a novel replication-defective gorilla adenovirus-vectored vaccine encoding the pre-fusion stabilized Spike (S) protein of SARS-CoV-2. We show that our vaccine candidate, GRAd-COV2, is highly immunogenic ...[more]

PMID: 33895322

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Project description:IntroductionWhile there has been considerable progress in the development of vaccines against SARS-CoV-2, largely based on the S (spike) protein of the virus, less progress has been made with vaccines delivering different viral antigens with cross-reactive potential.MethodsIn an effort to develop an immunogen with the capacity to induce broad antigen presentation, we have designed a multi-patch synthetic candidate containing dominant and persistent B cell epitopes from conserved regions of SARS-CoV-2 structural proteins associated with long-term immunity, termed CoV2-BMEP. Here we describe the characterization, immunogenicity and efficacy of CoV2-BMEP using two delivery platforms: nucleic acid DNA and attenuated modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA).ResultsIn cultured cells, both vectors produced a main protein of about 37 kDa as well as heterogeneous proteins with size ranging between 25-37 kDa. In C57BL/6 mice, both homologous and heterologous prime/boost combination of vectors induced the activation of SARS-CoV-2-specific CD4 and CD8 T cell responses, with a more balanced CD8+ T cell response detected in lungs. The homologous MVA/MVA immunization regimen elicited the highest specific CD8+ T cell responses in spleen and detectable binding antibodies (bAbs) to S and N antigens of SARS-CoV-2. In SARS-CoV-2 susceptible k18-hACE2 Tg mice, two doses of MVA-CoV2-BMEP elicited S- and N-specific bAbs as well as cross-neutralizing antibodies against different variants of concern (VoC). After SARS-CoV-2 challenge, all animals in the control unvaccinated group succumbed to the infection while vaccinated animals with high titers of neutralizing antibodies were fully protected against mortality, correlating with a reduction of virus infection in the lungs and inhibition of the cytokine storm.DiscussionThese findings revealed a novel immunogen with the capacity to control SARS-CoV-2 infection, using a broader antigen presentation mechanism than the approved vaccines based solely on the S antigen.

Dataset Information

Immunogenicity of a new gorilla adenovirus vaccine candidate for COVID-19.

Publications

Immunogenicity of a new gorilla adenovirus vaccine candidate for COVID-19.

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