Nanoparticle Vaccines Based on the Receptor Binding Domain (RBD) and Heptad Repeat (HR) of SARS-CoV-2 Elicit Robust Protective Immune Responses

Overview

Journal Immunity

Publisher Cell Press

Specialty Allergy & Immunology

Date 2020 Dec 4

PMID 33275896

Citations 168

Authors

Xiancai Ma

Fan Zou

Fei Yu

Rong Li

Yaochang Yuan

Yiwen Zhang

Xiantao Zhang

Jieyi Deng

Tao Chen

Zheng Song

Yidan Qiao

Yikang Zhan

Jun Liu

Junsong Zhang

Xu Zhang

Zhilin Peng

Yuzhuang Li

Yingtong Lin

Liting Liang

Guanwen Wang

Yingshi Chen

Qier Chen

Ting Pan

Xin He

Hui Zhang

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Various vaccine strategies have been proposed in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic, each with unique strategies for eliciting immune responses. Here, we developed nanoparticle vaccines by covalently conjugating the self-assembled 24-mer ferritin to the receptor binding domain (RBD) and/or heptad repeat (HR) subunits of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike (S) protein. Compared to monomer vaccines, nanoparticle vaccines elicited more robust neutralizing antibodies and cellular immune responses. RBD and RBD-HR nanoparticle vaccinated hACE2 transgenic mice vaccinated with RBD and/or RBD-HR nanoparticles exhibited reduced viral load in the lungs after SARS-CoV-2 challenge. RBD-HR nanoparticle vaccines also promoted neutralizing antibodies and cellular immune responses against other coronaviruses. The nanoparticle vaccination of rhesus macaques induced neutralizing antibodies, and T and B cell responses prior to boost immunization; these responses persisted for more than three months. RBD- and HR-based nanoparticles thus present a promising vaccination approach against SARS-CoV-2 and other coronaviruses.

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