iScience (Apr 2023)

Monovalent and trivalent VSV-based COVID-19 vaccines elicit neutralizing antibodies and CD8+ T cells against SARS-CoV-2 variants

  • Kate A. Parham,
  • Gyoung Nyoun Kim,
  • Connor G. Richer,
  • Marina Ninkov,
  • Kunyu Wu,
  • Nasrin Saeedian,
  • Yue Li,
  • Rasheduzzaman Rashu,
  • Stephen D. Barr,
  • Eric J. Arts,
  • S.M. Mansour Haeryfar,
  • C. Yong Kang,
  • Ryan M. Troyer

Journal volume & issue
Vol. 26, no. 4
p. 106292

Abstract

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Summary: Recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus (rVSV) vaccines expressing spike proteins of Wuhan, Beta, and/or Delta variants of SARS-CoV-2 were generated and tested for induction of antibody and T cell immune responses following intramuscular delivery to mice. rVSV-Wuhan and rVSV-Delta vaccines and an rVSV-Trivalent (mixed rVSV-Wuhan, -Beta, -Delta) vaccine elicited potent neutralizing antibodies (nAbs) against live SARS-CoV-2 Wuhan (USAWA1), Beta (B.1.351), Delta (B.1.617.2), and Omicron (B.1.1.529) viruses. Prime-boost vaccination with rVSV-Beta was less effective in this capacity. Heterologous boosting of rVSV-Wuhan with rVSV-Delta induced strong nAb responses against Delta and Omicron viruses, with the rVSV-Trivalent vaccine consistently effective in inducing nAbs against all the SARS-CoV-2 variants tested. All vaccines, including rVSV-Beta, elicited a spike-specific immunodominant CD8+ T cell response. Collectively, rVSV vaccines targeting SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern may be considered in the global fight against COVID-19.

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