A SARS-CoV-2 ferritin nanoparticle vaccine elicits protective immune responses in nonhuman primates

• Published in: Science translational medicine 2022-02, Vol.14 (632), p.eabi5735
• Main Authors: Joyce, M Gordon, King, Hannah A D, Elakhal-Naouar, Ines, Ahmed, Aslaa, Peachman, Kristina K, Macedo Cincotta, Camila, Subra, Caroline, Chen, Rita E, Thomas, Paul V, Chen, Wei-Hung, Sankhala, Rajeshwer S, Hajduczki, Agnes, Martinez, Elizabeth J, Peterson, Caroline E, Chang, William C, Choe, Misook, Smith, Clayton, Lee, Parker J, Headley, Jarrett A, Taddese, Mekdi G, Elyard, Hanne A, Cook, Anthony, Anderson, Alexander, McGuckin Wuertz, Kathryn, Dong, Ming, Swafford, Isabella, Case, James Brett, Currier, Jeffrey R, Lal, Kerri G, Molnar, Sebastian, Nair, Manoj S, Dussupt, Vincent, Daye, Sharon P, Zeng, Xiankun, Barkei, Erica K, Staples, Hilary M, Alfson, Kendra, Carrion, Ricardo, Krebs, Shelly J, Paquin-Proulx, Dominic, Karasavva, Nicos, Polonis, Victoria R, Jagodzinski, Linda L, Amare, Mihret F, Vasan, Sandhya, Scott, Paul T, Huang, Yaoxing, Ho, David D, de Val, Natalia, Diamond, Michael S, Lewis, Mark G, Rao, Mangala, Matyas, Gary R, Gromowski, Gregory D, Peel, Sheila A, Michael, Nelson L, Bolton, Diane L, Modjarrad, Kayvon
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Antibodies, Neutralizing; Antibodies, Viral; CD4 antigen; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; COVID-19 Vaccines; Ferritin; Ferritins; Helper cells; Humans; Immune response (cell-mediated); Immune response (humoral); Immune system; Immunity; Lymphocytes T; Macaca mulatta; Nanoparticles; Parenchyma; Primates; Respiration; SARS-CoV-2; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus; Vaccines
• ISSN: 1946-6234; 1946-6242; 1946-3242
• DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.abi5735

The emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants stresses the continued need for next-generation vaccines that confer broad protection against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We developed and evaluated an adjuvanted SARS-CoV-2 spike ferritin nanoparticle (SpFN) vaccine in nonhuman primates. High-dose (50 μg) SpFN vaccine, given twice 28 days apart, induced a Th1-biased CD4 T cell helper response and elicited neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 wild-type and variants of concern, as well as against SARS-CoV-1. These potent humoral and cell-mediated immune responses translated into rapid elimination of replicating virus in the upper and lower airways and lung parenchyma of nonhuman primates following high-dose SARS-CoV-2 respiratory challenge. The immune response elicited by SpFN vaccination and resulting efficacy in nonhuman primates supports the utility of SpFN as a vaccine candidate for SARS-causing betacoronaviruses.