A single dose of replication-competent VSV-vectored vaccine expressing SARS-CoV-2 S1 protects against virus replication in a hamster model of severe COVID-19
Delphine C. Malherbe,
Drishya Kurup,
Christoph Wirblich,
Adam J. Ronk,
Chad Mire,
Natalia Kuzmina,
Noor Shaik,
Sivakumar Periasamy,
Matthew A. Hyde,
Julie M. Williams,
Pei-Yong Shi,
Matthias J. Schnell,
Alexander Bukreyev
Affiliations
Delphine C. Malherbe
Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch
Drishya Kurup
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Thomas Jefferson University
Christoph Wirblich
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Thomas Jefferson University
Adam J. Ronk
Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch
Chad Mire
Galveston National Laboratory
Natalia Kuzmina
Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch
Noor Shaik
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Thomas Jefferson University
Sivakumar Periasamy
Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch
Matthew A. Hyde
Galveston National Laboratory
Julie M. Williams
Galveston National Laboratory
Pei-Yong Shi
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch
Matthias J. Schnell
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Thomas Jefferson University
Alexander Bukreyev
Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch
Abstract The development of effective countermeasures against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the agent responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, is a priority. We designed and produced ConVac, a replication-competent vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) vaccine vector that expresses the S1 subunit of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. We used golden Syrian hamsters as animal models of severe COVID-19 to test the efficacy of the ConVac vaccine. A single vaccine dose elicited high levels of SARS-CoV-2 specific binding and neutralizing antibodies; following intranasal challenge with SARS-CoV-2, animals were protected from weight loss and viral replication in the lungs. No enhanced pathology was observed in vaccinated animals upon challenge, but some inflammation was still detected. The data indicate rapid control of SARS-CoV-2 replication by the S1-based VSV-vectored SARS-CoV-2 ConVac vaccine.
