Newcastle Disease Virus (NDV) Expressing the Spike Protein of SARS-CoV-2 As a Live Virus Vaccine Candidate

Overview

Journal EBioMedicine

Specialty Biomedical Engineering

Date 2020 Nov 24

PMID 33232870

Citations 61

Authors

Weina Sun

Sarah R Leist

Stephen McCroskery

Yonghong Liu

Stefan Slamanig

Justine Oliva

Fatima Amanat

Alexandra Schafer

Kenneth H Dinnon 3rd

Adolfo Garcia-Sastre

Florian Krammer

Ralph S Baric

Peter Palese

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Due to the lack of protective immunity of humans towards the newly emerged SARS-CoV-2, this virus has caused a massive pandemic across the world resulting in hundreds of thousands of deaths. Thus, a vaccine is urgently needed to contain the spread of the virus.

Methods: Here, we describe Newcastle disease virus (NDV) vector vaccines expressing the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 in its wild type format or a membrane-anchored format lacking the polybasic cleavage site. All described NDV vector vaccines grow to high titers in embryonated chicken eggs. In a proof of principle mouse study, the immunogenicity and protective efficacy of these NDV-based vaccines were investigated.

Findings: We report that the NDV vector vaccines elicit high levels of antibodies that are neutralizing when the vaccine is given intramuscularly in mice. Importantly, these COVID-19 vaccine candidates protect mice from a mouse-adapted SARS-CoV-2 challenge with no detectable viral titer and viral antigen in the lungs.

Interpretation: The results suggested that the NDV vector expressing either the wild type S or membrane-anchored S without the polybasic cleavage site could be used as live vector vaccine against SARS-CoV-2.

Funding: This work is supported by an NIAID funded Center of Excellence for Influenza Research and Surveillance (CEIRS) contract, the Collaborative Influenza Vaccine Innovation Centers (CIVIC) contract, philanthropic donations and NIH grants.

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