A SARS-CoV-2 ferritin nanoparticle vaccine elicits protective immune responses in nonhuman primates

M Gordon Joyce; Hannah A D King; Ines Elakhal-Naouar; Aslaa Ahmed; Kristina K Peachman; Camila Macedo Cincotta; Caroline Subra; Rita E Chen; Paul V Thomas; Wei-Hung Chen; Rajeshwer S Sankhala; Agnes Hajduczki; Elizabeth J Martinez; Caroline E Peterson; William C Chang; Misook Choe; Clayton Smith; Parker J Lee; Jarrett A Headley; Mekdi G Taddese; Hanne A Elyard; Anthony Cook; Alexander Anderson; Kathryn McGuckin Wuertz; Ming Dong; Isabella Swafford; James Brett Case; Jeffrey R Currier; Kerri G Lal; Sebastian Molnar; Manoj S Nair; Vincent Dussupt; Sharon P Daye; Xiankun Zeng; Erica K Barkei; Hilary M Staples; Kendra Alfson; Ricardo Carrion; Shelly J Krebs; Dominic Paquin-Proulx; Nicos Karasavva; Victoria R Polonis; Linda L Jagodzinski; Mihret F Amare; Sandhya Vasan; Paul T Scott; Yaoxing Huang; David D Ho; Natalia de Val; Michael S Diamond; Mark G Lewis; Mangala Rao; Gary R Matyas; Gregory D Gromowski; Sheila A Peel; Nelson L Michael; Diane L Bolton; Kayvon Modjarrad

doi:10.1126/scitranslmed.abi5735

A SARS-CoV-2 ferritin nanoparticle vaccine elicits protective immune responses in nonhuman primates

Sci Transl Med. 2022 Feb 16;14(632):eabi5735. doi: 10.1126/scitranslmed.abi5735. Epub 2022 Feb 16.

Authors

M Gordon Joyce^{1

2}, Hannah A D King^{1

2

3}, Ines Elakhal-Naouar^{2

4}, Aslaa Ahmed⁵, Kristina K Peachman⁴, Camila Macedo Cincotta^{2

4}, Caroline Subra^{1

2

3}, Rita E Chen^{6

7}, Paul V Thomas^{1

2}, Wei-Hung Chen^{1

2}, Rajeshwer S Sankhala^{1

2}, Agnes Hajduczki^{1

2}, Elizabeth J Martinez^{1

2}, Caroline E Peterson^{1

2}, William C Chang^{1

2}, Misook Choe^{1

2}, Clayton Smith⁸, Parker J Lee^{1

2}, Jarrett A Headley^{1

2}, Mekdi G Taddese^{1

2}, Hanne A Elyard⁹, Anthony Cook⁹, Alexander Anderson^{3

10}, Kathryn McGuckin Wuertz³, Ming Dong^{1

2

3}, Isabella Swafford^{1

2

3}, James Brett Case⁶, Jeffrey R Currier⁵, Kerri G Lal^{1

2

3}, Sebastian Molnar^{1

2

3}, Manoj S Nair¹¹, Vincent Dussupt^{1

2

3}, Sharon P Daye¹², Xiankun Zeng¹³, Erica K Barkei¹⁴, Hilary M Staples¹⁵, Kendra Alfson¹⁵, Ricardo Carrion¹⁵, Shelly J Krebs^{1

2

3}, Dominic Paquin-Proulx^{1

2

3}, Nicos Karasavva^{2

4}, Victoria R Polonis³, Linda L Jagodzinski⁴, Mihret F Amare^{1

2}, Sandhya Vasan^{1

2

3}, Paul T Scott¹, Yaoxing Huang¹¹, David D Ho¹¹, Natalia de Val⁸, Michael S Diamond^{6

7

16}, Mark G Lewis⁹, Mangala Rao³, Gary R Matyas³, Gregory D Gromowski⁵, Sheila A Peel⁴, Nelson L Michael¹², Diane L Bolton^{1

2

3}, Kayvon Modjarrad¹

Affiliations

¹ Emerging Infectious Diseases Branch, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR), Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA.
² Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Bethesda, MD 20817, USA.
³ U.S. Military HIV Research Program, WRAIR, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA.
⁴ Diagnostics and Countermeasures Branch, WRAIR, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA.
⁵ Viral Diseases Branch, WRAIR, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA.
⁶ Department of Medicine, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA.
⁷ Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA.
⁸ Center for Molecular Microscopy, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Frederick, MD 21702, USA.
⁹ Bioqual, Rockville, MD 20850, USA.
¹⁰ Oak Ridge Institute of Science and Education, Oak Ridge, TN 37830, USA.
¹¹ Diamond AIDS Research Center, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY 10032, USA.
¹² Center for Infectious Diseases Research, WRAIR, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA.
¹³ Division of Pathology, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Frederick, MD 21702, USA.
¹⁴ Veterinary Pathology Department, WRAIR, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA.
¹⁵ Department of Virology and Immunology, Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX 78227, USA.
¹⁶ Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA.

PMID: 34914540
DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.abi5735

Abstract

The emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants stresses the continued need for next-generation vaccines that confer broad protection against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We developed and evaluated an adjuvanted SARS-CoV-2 spike ferritin nanoparticle (SpFN) vaccine in nonhuman primates. High-dose (50 μg) SpFN vaccine, given twice 28 days apart, induced a Th1-biased CD4 T cell helper response and elicited neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 wild-type and variants of concern, as well as against SARS-CoV-1. These potent humoral and cell-mediated immune responses translated into rapid elimination of replicating virus in the upper and lower airways and lung parenchyma of nonhuman primates following high-dose SARS-CoV-2 respiratory challenge. The immune response elicited by SpFN vaccination and resulting efficacy in nonhuman primates supports the utility of SpFN as a vaccine candidate for SARS-causing betacoronaviruses.

Publication types

Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

Animals
Antibodies, Neutralizing
Antibodies, Viral
COVID-19 Vaccines
COVID-19*
Ferritins
Humans
Immunity
Macaca mulatta
Nanoparticles*
SARS-CoV-2
Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus

Substances

Antibodies, Neutralizing
Antibodies, Viral
COVID-19 Vaccines
Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus
Ferritins