Vaccines (Nov 2022)

Immunogenicity and Efficacy of Monovalent and Bivalent Formulations of a Virus-Like Particle Vaccine against SARS-CoV-2

  • Matthew D. Resch,
  • Ke Wen,
  • Ryan Mazboudi,
  • Hannah Mulhall Maasz,
  • Mirjana Persaud,
  • Kaitlyn Garvey,
  • Leslie Gallardo,
  • Paul Gottlieb,
  • Aleksandra Alimova,
  • Reza Khayat,
  • Jorge Morales,
  • Helle Bielefeldt-Ohmann,
  • Richard A. Bowen,
  • Jose M. Galarza

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines10121997
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 10, no. 12
p. 1997

Abstract

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Virus-like particles (VLPs) offer great potential as a safe and effective vaccine platform against SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of COVID-19. Here, we show that SARS-CoV-2 VLPs can be generated by expression of the four viral structural proteins in a mammalian expression system. Immunization of mice with a monovalent VLP vaccine elicited a potent humoral response, showing neutralizing activity against multiple variants of SARS-CoV-2. Subsequent immunogenicity and efficacy studies were performed in the Golden Syrian hamster model, which closely resembles the pathology and progression of COVID-19 in humans. Hamsters immunized with a bivalent VLP vaccine were significantly protected from infection with the Beta or Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2. Vaccinated hamsters showed reduced viral load, shedding, replication, and pathology in the respiratory tract. Immunized hamsters also showed variable levels of cross-neutralizing activity against the Omicron variant. Overall, the VLP vaccine elicited robust protective efficacy against SARS-CoV-2. These promising results warrant further study of multivalent VLP vaccines in Phase I clinical trials in humans.

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