Preclinical evaluation of a candidate naked plasmid DNA vaccine against SARS-CoV-2

• Published in: npj vaccines Vol. 6; no. 1; pp. 156 - 13
• Main Authors: Lassaunière, Ria, Polacek, Charlotta, Gram, Gregers J., Frische, Anders, Tingstedt, Jeanette Linnea, Krüger, Maren, Dorner, Brigitte G., Cook, Anthony, Brown, Renita, Orekov, Tatyana, Putmon-Taylor, Tammy, Campbell, Tracey-Ann, Greenhouse, Jack, Pessaint, Laurent, Andersen, Hanne, Lewis, Mark G., Fomsgaard, Anders
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 20.12.2021; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 631/250/590/1991; 631/326/596/4130; 631/61/24/590/1991; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; COVID-19; COVID-19 vaccines; Deoxyribonucleic acid; DNA; Immunization; Immunogenicity; Infectious Diseases; Medical Microbiology; Public Health; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Vaccine; Vaccines; Virology
• ISSN: 2059-0105; 2059-0105
• DOI: 10.1038/s41541-021-00419-z

New generation plasmid DNA vaccines may be a safe, fast and simple emergency vaccine platform for preparedness against emerging viral pathogens. Applying platform optimization strategies, we tested the pre-clinical immunogenicity and protective effect of a candidate DNA plasmid vaccine specific for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The DNA vaccine induced spike-specific binding IgG and neutralizing antibodies in mice, rabbits, and rhesus macaques together with robust Th1 dominant cellular responses in small animals. Intradermal and intramuscular needle-free administration of the DNA vaccine yielded comparable immune responses. In a vaccination-challenge study of rhesus macaques, the vaccine demonstrated protection from viral replication in the lungs following intranasal and intratracheal inoculation with SARS-CoV-2. In conclusion, the candidate plasmid DNA vaccine encoding the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein is immunogenic in different models and confers protection against lung infection in nonhuman primates. Further evaluation of this DNA vaccine candidate in clinical trials is warranted.