S-Trimer, a COVID-19 subunit vaccine candidate, induces protective immunity in nonhuman primates

• Published in: Nature communications Vol. 12; no. 1; p. 1346
• Main Authors: Liang, Joshua G., Su, Danmei, Song, Tian-Zhang, Zeng, Yilan, Huang, Weijin, Wu, Jinhua, Xu, Rong, Luo, Peiwen, Yang, Xiaofang, Zhang, Xiaodong, Luo, Shuangru, Liang, Ying, Li, Xinglin, Huang, Jiaju, Wang, Qiang, Huang, Xueqin, Xu, Qingsong, Luo, Mei, Huang, Anliang, Luo, Dongxia, Zhao, Chenyan, Yang, Fan, Han, Jian-Bao, Zheng, Yong-Tang, Liang, Peng
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 01.03.2021; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 631/250/590; 631/326/596/4130; Adjuvants; Animal models; Animals; Antibodies; Antibodies, Neutralizing - immunology; Antibodies, Viral - immunology; Antigens; Blotting, Western; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; COVID-19 - immunology; COVID-19 - prevention & control; COVID-19 - therapy; COVID-19 Serotherapy; COVID-19 Vaccines - therapeutic use; CpG islands; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Female; Humanities and Social Sciences; Humans; Immune response; Immune response (cell-mediated); Immunity, Cellular - physiology; Immunization; Immunization, Passive; Immunogenicity; Immunohistochemistry; Lymphocytes T; Macaca mulatta; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Microscopy, Electron; multidisciplinary; Pandemics; Primates; RNA viruses; SARS-CoV-2 - immunology; SARS-CoV-2 - pathogenicity; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Severe acute respiratory syndrome; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Spike protein; Technology; TLR9 protein; Toll-like receptors; Trimers; Vaccines; Viral diseases; Viruses
• ISSN: 2041-1723; 2041-1723
• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-21634-1

SARS-CoV-2 is the underlying cause for the COVID-19 pandemic. Like most enveloped RNA viruses, SARS-CoV-2 uses a homotrimeric surface antigen to gain entry into host cells. Here we describe S-Trimer, a native-like trimeric subunit vaccine candidate for COVID-19 based on Trimer-Tag technology. Immunization of S-Trimer with either AS03 (oil-in-water emulsion) or CpG 1018 (TLR9 agonist) plus alum adjuvants induced high-level of neutralizing antibodies and Th1-biased cellular immune responses in animal models. Moreover, rhesus macaques immunized with adjuvanted S-Trimer were protected from SARS-CoV-2 challenge compared to vehicle controls, based on clinical observations and reduction of viral loads in lungs. Trimer-Tag may be an important platform technology for scalable production and rapid development of safe and effective subunit vaccines against current and future emerging RNA viruses. Vaccines for SARS-CoV-2 are needed to fight the pandemic. Here the authors show immunogenicity of an adjuvanted subunit vaccine, SARS-CoV-2 spike protein trimerized with trimer-tag technology, in small animal models and protection from SARS-CoV-2 challenge in non-human primates.