Published January 1, 2022 | Version v1
Journal article Open

Development and preclinical evaluation of virus-like particle vaccine against COVID-19 infection

Creators

  • 1. Middle East Tech Univ, Dept Biol Sci, Ankara, Turkey
  • 2. Bilkent Univ, Mol Biol & Genet Dept, Ankara, Turkey

Description

Background Vaccines that incorporate multiple SARS-CoV-2 antigens can further broaden the breadth of virus-specific cellular and humoral immunity. This study describes the development and immunogenicity of SARS-CoV-2 VLP vaccine that incorporates the four structural proteins of SARS-CoV-2. Methods VLPs were generated in transiently transfected HEK293 cells, purified by multimodal chromatography, and characterized by tunable-resistive pulse sensing, AFM, SEM, and TEM. Immunoblotting studies verified the protein identities of VLPs. Cellular and humoral immune responses of immunized animals demonstrated the immune potency of the formulated VLP vaccine. Results Transiently transfected HEK293 cells reproducibly generated vesicular VLPs that were similar in size to and expressing all four structural proteins of SARS-CoV-2. Alum adsorbed, K3-CpG ODN-adjuvanted VLPs elicited high titer anti-S, anti-RBD, anti-N IgG, triggered multifunctional Th1-biased T-cell responses, reduced virus load, and prevented lung pathology upon live virus challenge in vaccinated animals. Conclusion These data suggest that VLPs expressing all four structural protein antigens of SARS-CoV-2 are immunogenic and can protect animals from developing COVID-19 infection following vaccination.

Files

bib-6f4111a7-97a2-4c87-87d1-68adbd8d6c83.txt

Files (381 Bytes)

Name Size Download all
md5:020c17b7e51e64236c656d694b8f9573
381 Bytes Preview Download