Abstract
The unprecedented and rapid spread of SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2) has motivated the need for a rapidly producible and scalable vaccine. Here, we developed a synthetic soluble SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) DNA-based vaccine candidate, GX-19. In mice, immunization with GX-19 elicited not only S-specific systemic and pulmonary antibody responses but also Th1-biased T cell responses in a dose-dependent manner. GX-19-vaccinated nonhuman primates seroconverted rapidly and exhibited a detectable neutralizing antibody response as well as multifunctional CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses. Notably, when the immunized nonhuman primates were challenged at 10 weeks after the last vaccination with GX-19, they had reduced viral loads in contrast to non-vaccinated primates as a control. These findings indicate that GX-19 vaccination provides a durable protective immune response and also support further development of GX-19 as a vaccine candidate for SARS-CoV-2.
Highlights
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) emerged towards the end of 2019 as a causative agent of pneumonia in the city of Wuhan in China [1]
The sequence for the SARS-CoV-2 S protein was generated after analysis of the S protein genomic sequence, which was retrieved from the NCBI SARS-CoV-2 resource
We demonstrated that GX-19 exhibited a higher S-specific antibody response than pGX27-S
Summary
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) emerged towards the end of 2019 as a causative agent of pneumonia in the city of Wuhan in China [1]. Disease symptoms range from mild flu-like to severe cases with life-threatening pneumonia [2]. Due to the high transmissibility and extensive community spread, SARS-CoV-2 has already caused nearly 20 million infections and over 700,000 deaths as of August 2020 [3]. It is estimated that until ~60 to 70% of people develop herd immunity, achieving sufficient control of SARS-CoV-2 to resume normal activities is unlikely [4]. The rapid development of vaccines or other immunomodulating agents [5] against SARS-CoV-2 is important to change the global epidemiology of this virus
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
