Bivalent SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccines increase breadth of neutralization and protect against the BA.5 Omicron variant.

ABSTRACT: The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants in the Omicron lineage with large numbers of substitutions in the spike protein that can evade antibody neutralization has resulted in diminished vaccine efficacy and persistent transmission. One strategy to broaden vaccine-induced immunity is to administer bivalent vaccines that encode for spike proteins from both historical and newly-emerged variant strains. Here, we evaluated the immunogenicity and protective efficacy of two bivalent vaccines that recently were authorized for use in Europe and the United States and contain two mRNAs encoding Wuhan-1 and either BA.1 (mRNA-1273.214) or BA.4/5 (mRNA-1273.222) spike proteins. As a primary immunization series in BALB/c mice, both bivalent vaccines induced broader neutralizing antibody responses than the c

SUBMITTER: Scheaffer SM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9580377 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature