Design and Immunological Properties of the Novel Subunit Virus-like Vaccine against SARS-CoV-2
Igor V. Krasilnikov,
Aleksandr V. Kudriavtsev,
Anna V. Vakhrusheva,
Maria E. Frolova,
Aleksandr V. Ivanov,
Marina A. Stukova,
Ekaterina A. Romanovskaya-Romanko,
Kirill A. Vasilyev,
Nataliya V. Mushenkova,
Artur A. Isaev
Affiliations
Igor V. Krasilnikov
Department of Vaccinology, Smorodintsev Research Institute of Influenza of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, 197376 Saint Petersburg, Russia
Aleksandr V. Kudriavtsev
Betuvax, 121096 Moscow, Russia
Anna V. Vakhrusheva
Betuvax, 121096 Moscow, Russia
Maria E. Frolova
PJSC Human Stem Cells Institute, 129110 Moscow, Russia
Aleksandr V. Ivanov
Razvitie BioTechnologiy, 119136 Moscow, Russia
Marina A. Stukova
Department of Vaccinology, Smorodintsev Research Institute of Influenza of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, 197376 Saint Petersburg, Russia
Ekaterina A. Romanovskaya-Romanko
Department of Vaccinology, Smorodintsev Research Institute of Influenza of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, 197376 Saint Petersburg, Russia
Kirill A. Vasilyev
Department of Vaccinology, Smorodintsev Research Institute of Influenza of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, 197376 Saint Petersburg, Russia
Nataliya V. Mushenkova
Betuvax, 121096 Moscow, Russia
Artur A. Isaev
PJSC Human Stem Cells Institute, 129110 Moscow, Russia
The COVID-19 pandemic is ongoing, and the need for safe and effective vaccines to prevent infection and to control spread of the virus remains urgent. Here, we report the development of a SARS-CoV-2 subunit vaccine candidate (Betuvax-CoV-2) based on RBD and SD1 domains of the spike (S) protein fused to a human IgG1 Fc fragment. The antigen is adsorbed on betulin adjuvant, forming spherical particles with a size of 100–180 nm, mimicking the size of viral particles. Here we confirm the potent immunostimulatory activity of betulin adjuvant, and demonstrate that two immunizations of mice with Betuvax-CoV-2 elicited high titers of RBD-specific antibodies. The candidate vaccine was also effective in stimulating a neutralizing antibody response and T cell immunity. The results indicate that Betuvax-CoV-2 has good potential for further development as an effective vaccine against SARS-CoV-2.
