Protective Efficacy of Inactivated Vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Mice and Non-Human Primates

• Published in: Virologica Sinica Vol. 36; no. 5; pp. 879 - 889
• Main Authors: Yao, Yan-Feng, Wang, Ze-Jun, Jiang, Ren-Di, Hu, Xue, Zhang, Hua-Jun, Zhou, Yi-Wu, Gao, Ge, Chen, Ying, Peng, Yun, Liu, Mei-Qin, Zhang, Ya-Nan, Min, Juan, Lu, Jia, Gao, Xiao-Xiao, Guo, Jing, Peng, Cheng, Shen, Xu-Rui, Li, Qian, Zhao, Kai, Yang, Lian, Wan, Xin, Zhang, Bo, Wang, Wen-Hui, Wu, Jia, Zhou, Peng, Yang, Xing-Lou, Shen, Shuo, Shan, Chao, Yuan, Zhi-Ming, Shi, Zheng-Li
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Singapore Springer Singapore 01.10.2021; KeAi Publishing Communications Ltd
• Subjects: ACE2; Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2; Animals; Antibodies, Neutralizing - blood; Antibodies, Viral - blood; Biochemistry; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; blood serum; Clinical trials; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; COVID-19 - prevention & control; COVID-19 infection; COVID-19 Vaccines - immunology; humans; Immunogenicity; inactivated vaccines; Medical Microbiology; Mice; Mice, Transgenic; Microbial Genetics and Genomics; Microbiology; Oncology; pandemic; Pandemics; pathogens; Primates; Research Article; SARS-CoV-2; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus; Transgenic mice; Vaccines; Vaccines, Inactivated - immunology; Virology; Transgenic mouse; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2); Inactivated vaccine; Non-human primate; Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
• ISSN: 1674-0769; 1995-820X; 1995-820X
• DOI: 10.1007/s12250-021-00376-w

The ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused more than 96 million infections and over 2 million deaths worldwide so far. However, there is no approved vaccine available for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the disease causative agent. Vaccine is the most effective approach to eradicate a pathogen. The tests of safety and efficacy in animals are pivotal for developing a vaccine and before the vaccine is applied to human populations. Here we evaluated the safety, immunogenicity, and efficacy of an inactivated vaccine based on the whole viral particles in human ACE2 transgenic mouse and in non-human primates. Our data showed that the inactivated vaccine successfully induced SARS-CoV-2-specific neutralizing antibodies in mice and non-human primates, and subsequently provided partial (in low dose) or full (in high dose) protection of challenge in the tested animals. In addition, passive serum transferred from vaccine-immunized mice could also provide full protection from SARS-CoV-2 infection in mice. These results warranted positive outcomes in future clinical trials in humans.