A novel linker-immunodominant site (LIS) vaccine targeting the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein protects against severe COVID-19 in Syrian hamsters

BZ Zhang, X Wang, S Yuan, W Li, Y Dou… - Emerging Microbes & …, 2021 - Taylor & Francis
BZ Zhang, X Wang, S Yuan, W Li, Y Dou, VKM Poon, CCS Chan, JP Cai, KKH Chik, K Tang
Emerging Microbes & Infections, 2021Taylor & Francis
ABSTRACT The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is unlikely to abate until
sufficient herd immunity is built up by either natural infection or vaccination. We previously
identified ten linear immunodominant sites on the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein of which four
are located within the RBD. Therefore, we designed two linkerimmunodominant site (LIS)
vaccine candidates which are composed of four immunodominant sites within the RBD
(RBD-ID) or all the 10 immunodominant sites within the whole spike (S-ID). They were …
Abstract
The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is unlikely to abate until sufficient herd immunity is built up by either natural infection or vaccination. We previously identified ten linear immunodominant sites on the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein of which four are located within the RBD. Therefore, we designed two linkerimmunodominant site (LIS) vaccine candidates which are composed of four immunodominant sites within the RBD (RBD-ID) or all the 10 immunodominant sites within the whole spike (S-ID). They were administered by subcutaneous injection and were tested for immunogenicity and in vivo protective efficacy in a hamster model for COVID-19. We showed that the S-ID vaccine induced significantly better neutralizing antibody response than RBD-ID and alum control. As expected, hamsters vaccinated by S-ID had significantly less body weight loss, lung viral load, and histopathological changes of pneumonia. The S-ID has the potential to be an effective vaccine for protection against COVID-19.
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