COVID-<i>e</i>Vax, an electroporated plasmid DNA vaccine candidate encoding the SARS-CoV-2 Receptor Binding Domain, elicits protective immune responses in animal models of COVID-19
Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic caused by the β-coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has made the development of safe and effective vaccines a critical global priority. To date, four vaccines have already been approved by European and American authorities for preventing COVID-19 but the development of additional vaccine platforms with improved supply and logistics profiles remains a pressing need. Here we report the preclinical evaluation of a novel COVID-19 vaccine candidate based on the electroporation of engineered, synthetic cDNA encoding a viral antigen in the skeletal muscle, a technology previously utilized for cancer vaccines. We constructed a set of prototype DNA vaccines expressing various forms of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike (S) protein and assessed their immunogenicity in animal models. Among them, COVID-eVax – a DNA plasmid encoding a secreted monomeric form of SARS-CoV-2 S protein RBD – induced the most potent anti-SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody responses (including against the current most common variants of concern) and a robust T cell response. Upon challenge with SARS-CoV-2, immunized K18-hACE2 transgenic mice showed reduced weight loss, improved pulmonary function and significantly lower viral replication in the lungs and brain. COVID-eVax conferred significant protection to ferrets upon SARS-CoV-2 challenge. In summary, this study identifies COVID-eVax as an ideal COVID-19 vaccine candidate suitable for clinical development. Accordingly, a combined phase I-II trial has recently started in Italy..
| Medienart: |
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Preprint| Erscheinungsjahr: |
2022 |
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| Erschienen: |
2022 |
| Enthalten in: |
bioRxiv.org - (2022) vom: 31. Dez. Zur Gesamtaufnahme - year:2022 |
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| Sprache: |
Englisch |
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| Links: |
Volltext [kostenfrei] |
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| Themen: |
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| doi: |
10.1101/2021.06.14.448343 |
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| PPN (Katalog-ID): |
XBI031999743 |
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| 245 | 1 | 0 | |a COVID-<i>e</i>Vax, an electroporated plasmid DNA vaccine candidate encoding the SARS-CoV-2 Receptor Binding Domain, elicits protective immune responses in animal models of COVID-19 |
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| 520 | |a Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic caused by the β-coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has made the development of safe and effective vaccines a critical global priority. To date, four vaccines have already been approved by European and American authorities for preventing COVID-19 but the development of additional vaccine platforms with improved supply and logistics profiles remains a pressing need. Here we report the preclinical evaluation of a novel COVID-19 vaccine candidate based on the electroporation of engineered, synthetic cDNA encoding a viral antigen in the skeletal muscle, a technology previously utilized for cancer vaccines. We constructed a set of prototype DNA vaccines expressing various forms of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike (S) protein and assessed their immunogenicity in animal models. Among them, COVID-eVax – a DNA plasmid encoding a secreted monomeric form of SARS-CoV-2 S protein RBD – induced the most potent anti-SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody responses (including against the current most common variants of concern) and a robust T cell response. Upon challenge with SARS-CoV-2, immunized K18-hACE2 transgenic mice showed reduced weight loss, improved pulmonary function and significantly lower viral replication in the lungs and brain. COVID-eVax conferred significant protection to ferrets upon SARS-CoV-2 challenge. In summary, this study identifies COVID-eVax as an ideal COVID-19 vaccine candidate suitable for clinical development. Accordingly, a combined phase I-II trial has recently started in Italy. | ||
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