A SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine Designed for Manufacturability Results in Unexpected Potency and Non-Waning Humoral Response
Elliot Campbell,
Julie Dobkin,
Louis J. Osorio,
Afsal Kolloli,
Santhamani Ramasamy,
Ranjeet Kumar,
Derek B. Sant’Angelo,
Selvakumar Subbian,
Lisa K. Denzin,
Stephen Anderson
Affiliations
Elliot Campbell
Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
Julie Dobkin
Child Health Institute of New Jersey, Department of Pediatrics and Pharmacology, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA
Louis J. Osorio
Child Health Institute of New Jersey, Department of Pediatrics and Pharmacology, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA
Afsal Kolloli
Public Health Research Institute (PHRI), New Jersey Medical School, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ 07103, USA
Santhamani Ramasamy
Public Health Research Institute (PHRI), New Jersey Medical School, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ 07103, USA
Ranjeet Kumar
Public Health Research Institute (PHRI), New Jersey Medical School, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ 07103, USA
Derek B. Sant’Angelo
Child Health Institute of New Jersey, Department of Pediatrics and Pharmacology, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA
Selvakumar Subbian
Public Health Research Institute (PHRI), New Jersey Medical School, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ 07103, USA
Lisa K. Denzin
Child Health Institute of New Jersey, Department of Pediatrics and Pharmacology, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA
Stephen Anderson
Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
The rapid development of several highly efficacious SARS-CoV-2 vaccines was an unprecedented scientific achievement that saved millions of lives. However, now that SARS-CoV-2 is transitioning to the endemic stage, there exists an unmet need for new vaccines that provide durable immunity and protection against variants and can be more easily manufactured and distributed. Here, we describe a novel protein component vaccine candidate, MT-001, based on a fragment of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein that encompasses the receptor binding domain (RBD). Mice and hamsters immunized with a prime-boost regimen of MT-001 demonstrated extremely high anti-spike IgG titers, and remarkably this humoral response did not appreciably wane for up to 12 months following vaccination. Further, virus neutralization titers, including titers against variants such as Delta and Omicron BA.1, remained high without the requirement for subsequent boosting. MT-001 was designed for manufacturability and ease of distribution, and we demonstrate that these attributes are not inconsistent with a highly immunogenic vaccine that confers durable and broad immunity to SARS-CoV-2 and its emerging variants. These properties suggest MT-001 could be a valuable new addition to the toolbox of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines and other interventions to prevent infection and curtail additional morbidity and mortality from the ongoing worldwide pandemic.
