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Preclinical Evaluation of a Candidate Naked Plasmid DNA Vaccine Against SARS-CoV-2

Overview

Overview

Journal NPJ Vaccines

Date 2021 Dec 21

PMID 34930909

Citations 14

Authors

Authors

Ria Lassauniere

Charlotta Polacek

Gregers J Gram

Anders Frische

Jeanette Linnea Tingstedt

Maren Kruger

Brigitte G Dorner

Anthony Cook

Renita Brown

Tatyana Orekov

Tammy Putmon-Taylor

Tracey-Ann Campbell

Jack Greenhouse

Laurent Pessaint

Hanne Andersen

Mark G Lewis

Anders Fomsgaard

Affiliations

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

New generation plasmid DNA vaccines may be a safe, fast and simple emergency vaccine platform for preparedness against emerging viral pathogens. Applying platform optimization strategies, we tested the pre-clinical immunogenicity and protective effect of a candidate DNA plasmid vaccine specific for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The DNA vaccine induced spike-specific binding IgG and neutralizing antibodies in mice, rabbits, and rhesus macaques together with robust Th1 dominant cellular responses in small animals. Intradermal and intramuscular needle-free administration of the DNA vaccine yielded comparable immune responses. In a vaccination-challenge study of rhesus macaques, the vaccine demonstrated protection from viral replication in the lungs following intranasal and intratracheal inoculation with SARS-CoV-2. In conclusion, the candidate plasmid DNA vaccine encoding the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein is immunogenic in different models and confers protection against lung infection in nonhuman primates. Further evaluation of this DNA vaccine candidate in clinical trials is warranted.

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