1
|
Nithya Shree J, Premika T, Sharlin S, Annie Aglin A. Diverse approaches to express recombinant spike protein: A comprehensive review. Protein Expr Purif 2024; 223:106556. [PMID: 39009199 DOI: 10.1016/j.pep.2024.106556] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2024] [Revised: 07/03/2024] [Accepted: 07/12/2024] [Indexed: 07/17/2024]
Abstract
The spike protein of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is responsible for infecting host cells. It has two segments, S1 and S2. The S1 segment has a receptor-binding domain (RBD) that attaches to the host receptor angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). The S2 segment helps in the fusion of the viral cell membrane by creating a six-helical bundle through the two-heptad repeat domain. To develop effective vaccines and therapeutics against COVID-19, it is critical to express and purify the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein. Extensive studies have been conducted on expression of a complete recombinant spike protein or its fragments. This review provides an in-depth analysis of the different expression systems employed for spike protein expression, along with their advantages and disadvantages.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jk Nithya Shree
- Department of Biotechnology, Mepco Schlenk Engineering College, Sivakasi, 626005, Tamilnadu, India
| | - T Premika
- Department of Biotechnology, Mepco Schlenk Engineering College, Sivakasi, 626005, Tamilnadu, India
| | - S Sharlin
- Department of Biotechnology, Mepco Schlenk Engineering College, Sivakasi, 626005, Tamilnadu, India
| | - A Annie Aglin
- Department of Biotechnology, Mepco Schlenk Engineering College, Sivakasi, 626005, Tamilnadu, India.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Hotez P. Vaccine Science Diplomacy and "The Phenomenon of Man". LINACRE QUARTERLY 2024; 91:254-264. [PMID: 39104467 PMCID: PMC11298104 DOI: 10.1177/00243639241245105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/07/2024]
Abstract
The central tenets of international scientific collaborations leading to the development, testing, and the equitable distribution vaccines to combat poliomyelitis, smallpox, COVID-19, and other devasting infections, first accelerated in the mid-twentieth century. The genesis of vaccine science diplomacy also coincides with the publication of Le Phénomène Humain (The Phenomenon of Man) shortly after the death of its author, the French Jesuit priest and scientist, Dr. Teilhard de Jardin. Several tenets of Teilhard's posthumous essay, including our collective consciousness, and the "conjugated faces" of science and religion, are relevant to a modern vaccine diplomacy framework, even if Teilhard may not have specifically addressed vaccines in his writings. This could also include the potential for arriving at an "omega point" through international scientific collaboration and joint vaccine development, while simultaneously avoiding the destructive forces of anti-vaccine or anti-science activism. Collaborations between the Vatican, Catholic research universities and institutions; and leaders of the Catholic-majority nations in Africa, Asia, and Latin America in an integrated framework might accelerate these activities as they apply to both pandemic threats and neglected diseases of poverty.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Peter Hotez
- Departments of Pediatrics, Molecular Virology & Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, TX, USA
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Thimmiraju SR, Adhikari R, Redd JR, Villar MJ, Lee J, Liu Z, Chen YL, Sharma S, Kaur A, Uzcategui NL, Ronca SE, Chen WH, Kimata JT, Zhan B, Strych U, Bottazzi ME, Hotez PJ, Pollet J. A trivalent protein-based pan-Betacoronavirus vaccine elicits cross-neutralizing antibodies against a panel of coronavirus pseudoviruses. NPJ Vaccines 2024; 9:132. [PMID: 39034332 PMCID: PMC11271464 DOI: 10.1038/s41541-024-00924-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2024] [Accepted: 07/12/2024] [Indexed: 07/23/2024] Open
Abstract
The development of broad-spectrum coronavirus vaccines is essential to prepare for future respiratory virus pandemics. We demonstrated broad neutralization by a trivalent subunit vaccine, formulating the receptor-binding domains of SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2 XBB.1.5 with Alum and CpG55.2. Vaccinated mice produced cross-neutralizing antibodies against all three human Betacoronaviruses and others currently exclusive to bats, indicating the epitope preservation of the individual antigens during co-formulation and the potential for epitope broadening.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Syamala Rani Thimmiraju
- Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Rakesh Adhikari
- Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - JeAnna R Redd
- Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Maria Jose Villar
- Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Jungsoon Lee
- Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Zhuyun Liu
- Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Yi-Lin Chen
- Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Suman Sharma
- Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Amandeep Kaur
- Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Nestor L Uzcategui
- Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Shannon E Ronca
- Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
- Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Wen-Hsiang Chen
- Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Jason T Kimata
- Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Bin Zhan
- Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Ulrich Strych
- Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Maria Elena Bottazzi
- Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
- Department of Biology, Baylor University, Waco, TX, 76706, USA
- James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy, Rice University, Houston, TX, 77005, USA
| | - Peter J Hotez
- Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
- Department of Biology, Baylor University, Waco, TX, 76706, USA
- James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy, Rice University, Houston, TX, 77005, USA
| | - Jeroen Pollet
- Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
- Department of Pediatrics, National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
- Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Hotez PJ. A Journey in Science: Molecular vaccines for global child health in troubled times of anti-science. Mol Med 2024; 30:37. [PMID: 38491420 PMCID: PMC10943906 DOI: 10.1186/s10020-024-00786-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/18/2024] Open
Abstract
My scientific life in translational medicine runs in two parallel, yet often converging paths. The first, is four-decade-long commitment to develop new vaccines for parasitic and neglected tropical diseases, as well as pandemic threats. This includes a vaccine for human hookworm infection that I began as an MD-PhD student in New York City in the 1980s, and a new low-cost COVID vaccine that reached almost 100 million people in low- and middle-income countries. Alongside this life in scientific research, is one in public engagement for vaccine and neglected disease diplomacy to ensure that people who live in extreme poverty can benefit from access to biomedical innovations. A troubling element has been the daunting task of countering rising antivaccine activism, which threatens to undermine our global vaccine ecosystem. Yet, this activity may turn out to become just as important for saving lives as developing new vaccines.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Peter J Hotez
- Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Departments of Pediatrics and Molecular Virology, National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Hromić-Jahjefendić A, Lundstrom K, Adilović M, Aljabali AAA, Tambuwala MM, Serrano-Aroca Á, Uversky VN. Autoimmune response after SARS-CoV-2 infection and SARS-CoV-2 vaccines. Autoimmun Rev 2024; 23:103508. [PMID: 38160960 DOI: 10.1016/j.autrev.2023.103508] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
The complicated relationships between autoimmunity, COVID-19, and COVID-19 vaccinations are described, giving insight into their intricacies. Antinuclear antibodies (ANA), anti-Ro/SSA, rheumatoid factor, lupus anticoagulant, and antibodies against interferon (IFN)-I have all been consistently found in COVID-19 patients, indicating a high prevalence of autoimmune reactions following viral exposure. Furthermore, the discovery of human proteins with structural similarities to SARS-CoV-2 peptides as possible autoantigens highlights the complex interplay between the virus and the immune system in initiating autoimmunity. An updated summary of the current status of COVID-19 vaccines is presented. We present probable pathways underpinning the genesis of COVID-19 autoimmunity, such as bystander activation caused by hyperinflammatory conditions, viral persistence, and the creation of neutrophil extracellular traps. These pathways provide important insights into the development of autoimmune-related symptoms ranging from organ-specific to systemic autoimmune and inflammatory illnesses, demonstrating the wide influence of COVID-19 on the immune system.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Altijana Hromić-Jahjefendić
- Department of Genetics and Bioengineering, Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, International University of Sarajevo, Hrasnicka cesta 15, 71000 Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
| | | | - Muhamed Adilović
- Department of Genetics and Bioengineering, Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, International University of Sarajevo, Hrasnicka cesta 15, 71000 Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
| | - Alaa A A Aljabali
- Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Yarmouk University, P.O. Box 566, Irbid 21163, Jordan.
| | - Murtaza M Tambuwala
- Lincoln Medical School, Brayford Pool Campus, University of Lincoln, Lincoln LN6 7TS, UK.
| | - Ángel Serrano-Aroca
- Biomaterials and Bioengineering Laboratory, Centro de Investigación Traslacional San Alberto Magno, Universidad Católica de Valencia San Vicente Mártir, c/Guillem de Castro 94, 46001, Valencia, Spain.
| | - Vladimir N Uversky
- Department of Molecular Medicine and USF Health Byrd Alzheimer's Institute, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Rajak N, Dey T, Sharma Y, Bellad V, Rangarajan PN. Unlocking Nature's Toolbox: glutamate-inducible recombinant protein production from the Komagatella phaffii PEPCK promoter. Microb Cell Fact 2024; 23:66. [PMID: 38402195 PMCID: PMC10893637 DOI: 10.1186/s12934-024-02340-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2023] [Accepted: 02/17/2024] [Indexed: 02/26/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Komagataella phaffii (a.k.a. Pichia pastoris) harbors a glutamate utilization pathway in which synthesis of glutamate dehydrogenase 2 and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) is induced by glutamate. Glutamate-inducible synthesis of these enzymes is regulated by Rtg1p, a cytosolic, basic helix-loop-helix protein. Here, we report food-grade monosodium glutamate (MSG)-inducible recombinant protein production from K. phaffii PEPCK promoter (PPEPCK) using green fluorescent protein (GFP) and receptor binding domain of SARS-CoV-2 virus (RBD) as model proteins. RESULTS PPEPCK-RBD/GFP expression cassette was integrated at two different sites in the genome to improve recombinant protein yield from PPEPCK. The traditional, methanol-inducible alcohol oxidase 1 promoter (PAOX1) was used as the benchmark. Initial studies carried out with MSG as the inducer resulted in low recombinant protein yield. A new strategy employing MSG/ethanol mixed feeding improved biomass generation as well as recombinant protein yield. Cell density of 100-120 A600 units/ml was achieved after 72 h of induction in shake flask cultivations, resulting in recombinant protein yield from PPEPCK that is comparable or even higher than that from PAOX1. CONCLUSIONS We have designed an induction medium for recombinant protein production from K. phaffii PPEPCK in shake flask cultivations. It consists of 1.0% yeast extract, 2.0% peptone, 0.17% yeast nitrogen base with ammonium sulfate, 100 mM potassium phosphate (pH 6.0), 0.4 mg/L biotin, 2.0% MSG, and 2% ethanol. Substitution of ammonium sulphate with 0.5% urea is optional. Carbon source was replenished every 24 h during 72 h induction period. Under these conditions, GFP and RBD yields from PPEPCK equaled and even surpassed those from PAOX1. Compared to the traditional methanol-inducible expression system, the inducers of glutamate-inducible expression system are non-toxic and their metabolism does not generate toxic metabolites such as formaldehyde and hydrogen peroxide. This study sets the stage for MSG-inducible, industrial scale recombinant protein production from K. phaffii PPEPCK in bioreactors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Neetu Rajak
- Department of Biochemistry, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, 560012, India
| | - Trishna Dey
- Department of Biochemistry, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, 560012, India
| | - Yash Sharma
- Department of Biochemistry, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, 560012, India
| | - Vedanth Bellad
- Department of Biochemistry, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, 560012, India
| | - Pundi N Rangarajan
- Department of Biochemistry, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, 560012, India.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Lundstrom K. COVID-19 Vaccines: Where Did We Stand at the End of 2023? Viruses 2024; 16:203. [PMID: 38399979 PMCID: PMC10893040 DOI: 10.3390/v16020203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2023] [Revised: 01/23/2024] [Accepted: 01/25/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Vaccine development against SARS-CoV-2 has been highly successful in slowing down the COVID-19 pandemic. A wide spectrum of approaches including vaccines based on whole viruses, protein subunits and peptides, viral vectors, and nucleic acids has been developed in parallel. For all types of COVID-19 vaccines, good safety and efficacy have been obtained in both preclinical animal studies and in clinical trials in humans. Moreover, emergency use authorization has been granted for the major types of COVID-19 vaccines. Although high safety has been demonstrated, rare cases of severe adverse events have been detected after global mass vaccinations. Emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants possessing enhanced infectivity have affected vaccine protection efficacy requiring re-design and re-engineering of novel COVID-19 vaccine candidates. Furthermore, insight is given into preparedness against emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants.
Collapse
|
8
|
Thimmiraju SR, Kimata JT, Pollet J. Pseudoviruses, a safer toolbox for vaccine development against enveloped viruses. Expert Rev Vaccines 2024; 23:174-185. [PMID: 38164690 DOI: 10.1080/14760584.2023.2299380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Pseudoviruses are recombinant, replication-incompetent, viral particles designed to mimic the surface characteristics of native enveloped viruses. They are a safer, and cost-effective research alternative to live viruses. With the potential emergence of the next major infectious disease, more vaccine scientists must become familiar with the pseudovirus platform as a vaccine development tool to mitigate future outbreaks. AREAS COVERED This review aims at vaccine developers to provide a basic understanding of pseudoviruses, list their production methods, and discuss their utility to assess vaccine efficacy against enveloped viral pathogens. We further illustrate their usefulness as wet-lab simulators for emerging mutant variants, and new viruses to help prepare for current and future viral outbreaks, minimizing the need for gain-of-function experiments with highly infectious or lethal enveloped viruses. EXPERT OPINION With this platform, researchers can better understand the role of virus-receptor interactions and entry in infections, prepare for dangerous mutations, and develop effective vaccines.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Syamala R Thimmiraju
- Department of Pediatrics, Section of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Jason T Kimata
- Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Jeroen Pollet
- Department of Pediatrics, Section of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Hotez PJ, Bottazzi ME, Islam NY, Lee J, Pollet J, Poveda C, Strych U, Thimmiraju SR, Uzcategui NL, Versteeg L, Gorelick D. The zebrafish as a potential model for vaccine and adjuvant development. Expert Rev Vaccines 2024; 23:535-545. [PMID: 38664959 DOI: 10.1080/14760584.2024.2345685] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2024] [Accepted: 04/17/2024] [Indexed: 04/30/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Zebrafishes represent a proven model for human diseases and systems biology, exhibiting physiological and genetic similarities and having innate and adaptive immune systems. However, they are underexplored for human vaccinology, vaccine development, and testing. Here we summarize gaps and challenges. AREAS COVERED Zebrafish models have four potential applications: 1) Vaccine safety: The past successes in using zebrafishes to test xenobiotics could extend to vaccine and adjuvant formulations for general safety or target organs due to the zebrafish embryos' optical transparency. 2) Innate immunity: The zebrafish offers refined ways to examine vaccine effects through signaling via Toll-like or NOD-like receptors in zebrafish myeloid cells. 3) Adaptive immunity: Zebrafishes produce IgM, IgD,and two IgZ immunoglobulins, but these are understudied, due to a lack of immunological reagents for challenge studies. 4) Systems vaccinology: Due to the availability of a well-referenced zebrafish genome, transcriptome, proteome, and epigenome, this model offers potential here. EXPERT OPINION It remains unproven whether zebrafishes can be employed for testing and developing human vaccines. We are still at the hypothesis-generating stage, although it is possible to begin outlining experiments for this purpose. Through transgenic manipulation, zebrafish models could offer new paths for shaping animal models and systems vaccinology.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Peter J Hotez
- Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Department of Pediatrics, National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Maria Elena Bottazzi
- Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Department of Pediatrics, National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Nelufa Yesmin Islam
- Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Department of Pediatrics, National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Jungsoon Lee
- Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Department of Pediatrics, National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Jeroen Pollet
- Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Department of Pediatrics, National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Cristina Poveda
- Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Department of Pediatrics, National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Ulrich Strych
- Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Department of Pediatrics, National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Syamala Rani Thimmiraju
- Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Department of Pediatrics, National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Nestor L Uzcategui
- Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Department of Pediatrics, National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Leroy Versteeg
- Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Department of Pediatrics, National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Daniel Gorelick
- Center for Precision Environmental Health, Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Gao F, Zheng M, Fan J, Ding Y, Liu X, Zhang M, Zhang X, Dong J, Zhou X, Luo J, Li X. A trimeric spike-based COVID-19 vaccine candidate induces broad neutralization against SARS-CoV-2 variants. Hum Vaccin Immunother 2023; 19:2186110. [PMID: 36882925 PMCID: PMC10026892 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2023.2186110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/09/2023] Open
Abstract
COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection has an impact on global public health and social economy. The emerging immune escape of SARS-CoV-2 variants pose great challenges to the development of vaccines based on original strains. The development of second-generation COVID-19 vaccines to induce immune responses with broad-spectrum protective effects is a matter of great urgency. Here, a prefusion-stabilized spike (S) trimer protein based on B.1.351 variant was expressed and prepared with CpG7909/aluminum hydroxide dual adjuvant to investigate the immunogenicity in mice. The results showed that the candidate vaccine could induce a significant receptor binding domain-specific antibody response and a substantial interferon-γ-mediated immune response. Furthermore, the candidate vaccine also elicited robust cross-neutralization against the pseudoviruses of the original strain, Beta variant, Delta variant and Omicron variant. The vaccine strategy of S-trimer protein formulated with CpG7909/aluminum hydroxide dual adjuvant may be considered a means to increase vaccine effectiveness against future variants.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Feixia Gao
- Department of Research and Development, Shanghai Institute of Biological Products, Shanghai, China
| | - Mei Zheng
- Department of Research and Development, Shanghai Institute of Biological Products, Shanghai, China
| | - Jiangfeng Fan
- Department of Research and Development, Shanghai Institute of Biological Products, Shanghai, China
| | - Yahong Ding
- Department of Research and Development, Shanghai Institute of Biological Products, Shanghai, China
| | - Xueying Liu
- Department of Research and Development, Shanghai Institute of Biological Products, Shanghai, China
| | - Min Zhang
- Department of Research and Development, Shanghai Institute of Biological Products, Shanghai, China
| | - Xin Zhang
- Department of Research and Development, Shanghai Institute of Biological Products, Shanghai, China
| | - Jinrong Dong
- Department of Research and Development, Shanghai Institute of Biological Products, Shanghai, China
| | - Xu Zhou
- Department of Research and Development, Shanghai Institute of Biological Products, Shanghai, China
| | - Jian Luo
- Department of Research and Development, Shanghai Institute of Biological Products, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiuling Li
- Department of Research and Development, Shanghai Institute of Biological Products, Shanghai, China
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Zhang T, Zheng N, Wang Z, Xu X. Structure-based design of oligomeric receptor-binding domain (RBD) recombinant proteins as potent vaccine candidates against SARS-CoV-2. Hum Vaccin Immunother 2023; 19:2174755. [PMID: 36846890 PMCID: PMC10026890 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2023.2174755] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The receptor-binding domain (RBD) of SARS-CoV-2 S protein is proved to be the major target of neutralizing antibodies. However, on the S protein, only a portion of epitopes in RBD can be effectively displayed with dynamic changes in spatial conformations. Using RBD fragment as antigen can better expose the neutralizing epitopes, but the immunogenicity of RBD monomer is suboptimal. Multimeric display of RBD molecules is a feasible strategy to optimize RBD-based vaccines. In this study, RBD single-chain dimer derived from Wuhan-Hu-1 was fused with a trimerization motif, and a cysteine was also introduced at the C-terminus. The resultant recombinant protein 2RBDpLC was expressed in Sf9 cells using a baculovirus expression system. Reducing/non-reducing PAGE, size-exclusion chromatography and in silico structure prediction indicated that 2RBDpLC polymerized and possibly formed RBD dodecamers through trimerization motif and intermolecular disulfide bonds. In mice, 2RBDpLC induced higher levels of RBD-specific and neutralizing antibody responses than RBD dimer, RBD trimer and prefusion-stabilized S protein (S2P). In addition, cross-neutralizing antibodies against Delta and Omicron VOC were also detected in the immune sera. Our results demonstrate that 2RBDpLC is a promising vaccine candidate, and the method of constructing dodecamers may be an effective strategy for designing RBD-based vaccines.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ting Zhang
- Department of Biophysics and Structural Biology, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, School of Basic Medicine Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Ningchen Zheng
- Department of Biophysics and Structural Biology, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, School of Basic Medicine Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Zhirong Wang
- Department of Biophysics and Structural Biology, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, School of Basic Medicine Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Xuemei Xu
- Department of Biophysics and Structural Biology, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, School of Basic Medicine Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Hsieh HC, Chen CC, Chou PH, Liu WC, Wu SC. Induction of neutralizing antibodies and mucosal IgA through intranasal immunization with the receptor binding domain of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein fused with the type IIb E. coli heat-labile enterotoxin A subunit. Antiviral Res 2023; 220:105752. [PMID: 37949318 DOI: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2023.105752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2023] [Revised: 11/03/2023] [Accepted: 11/03/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023]
Abstract
The outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 infections had led to the COVID-19 pandemic which has a significant impact on global public health and the economy. The spike (S) protein of SARS-CoV-2 contains the receptor binding domain (RBD) which binds to human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 receptor. Numerous RBD-based vaccines have been developed and recently focused on the induction of neutralizing antibodies against the immune evasive Omicron BQ.1.1 and XBB.1.5 subvariants. In this preclinical study, we reported the use of a direct fusion of the type IIb Escherichia coli heat-labile enterotoxin A subunit with SARS CoV-2 RBD protein (RBD-LTA) as an intranasal vaccine candidate. The results showed that intranasal immunization with the RBD-LTA fusion protein in BALB/c mice elicited potent neutralizing antibodies against the Wuhan-Hu-1 and several SARS-CoV-2 variants as well as the production of IgA antibodies in bronchoalveolar lavage fluids (BALFs). Furthermore, the heterologous RBD representing the same strains used in the bivalent mRNA vaccine were used as a second-dose RBD-LTA/RBD protein booster after bivalent mRNA vaccination. The results showed that the neutralizing antibody titers elicited by the intranasal bivalent RBD-LTA/RBD protein booster were similar to the intramuscular bivalent mRNA booster, but the RBD-specific IgA titers in sera and BALFs significantly increased. Overall, this preclinical study suggests that the RBD-LTA fusion protein could be a promising candidate as a mucosal booster COVID-19 vaccine.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- He-Chin Hsieh
- Institute of Biotechnology, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, 30013, Taiwan.
| | - Chung-Chu Chen
- Department of Internal Medicine, MacKay Memorial Hospital, Hsinchu, 30071, Taiwan; Teaching Center of Natural Science, Minghsin University of Science and Technology, Hsinchu, 30401, Taiwan.
| | - Pin-Han Chou
- Institute of Biotechnology, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, 30013, Taiwan.
| | - Wen-Chun Liu
- Biomedical Translation Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 11529, Taiwan.
| | - Suh-Chin Wu
- Institute of Biotechnology, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, 30013, Taiwan; Department of Medical Science, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, 30013, Taiwan; Adimmune Corporation, Taichung, 42723, Taiwan.
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Dasgupta A, Gangai S, Narayan R, Kapoor S. Mapping the Lipid Signatures in COVID-19 Infection: Diagnostic and Therapeutic Solutions. J Med Chem 2023; 66:14411-14433. [PMID: 37899546 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.3c01238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/31/2023]
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic ignited research centered around the identification of robust biomarkers and therapeutic targets. SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible, hijacks the metabolic machinery of the host cells. It relies on lipids and lipoproteins of host cells for entry, trafficking, immune evasion, viral replication, and exocytosis. The infection causes host cell lipid metabolic remodelling. Targeting lipid-based processes is thus a promising strategy for countering COVID-19. Here, we review the role of lipids in the different steps of the SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis and identify lipid-centric targetable avenues. We discuss lipidome changes in infected patients and their relevance as potential clinical diagnostic or prognostic biomarkers. We summarize the emerging direct and indirect therapeutic approaches for targeting COVID-19 using lipid-inspired approaches. Given that viral protein-targeted therapies may become less effective due to mutations in emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants, lipid-inspired interventions may provide additional and perhaps better means of combating this and future pandemics.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Aishi Dasgupta
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai 400076, India
- IIT-Bombay Monash Academy, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai 400076, India
| | - Shon Gangai
- School of Chemical and Materials Sciences (SCMS), Institute of Technology Goa, Farmagudi, Ponda, Goa 403401, India
| | - Rishikesh Narayan
- School of Chemical and Materials Sciences (SCMS), Institute of Technology Goa, Farmagudi, Ponda, Goa 403401, India
- School of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences (SILS), Institute of Technology Goa, Farmagudi, Ponda, Goa 403401, India
| | - Shobhna Kapoor
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai 400076, India
- IIT-Bombay Monash Academy, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai 400076, India
- Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima 739-8528, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Mahoney R, Hotez PJ, Bottazzi ME. Global regulatory reforms to promote equitable vaccine access in the next pandemic. PLOS GLOBAL PUBLIC HEALTH 2023; 3:e0002482. [PMID: 37851688 PMCID: PMC10584090 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0002482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2023]
Abstract
There is broad consensus that the global response to the Covid-19 pandemic was inadequate, leading to unacceptable levels of avoidable morbidity and mortality. Three strategic missteps led to the lack of equitable vaccine access: The heavy reliance on commercial vaccine manufacturers in high-income countries (HICs) versus low- and middle-income countries (LMICs); the emergence of vaccine nationalism restricting and delaying the supply of vaccines to LMICs; and an inadequate support or recognition for LMIC national regulatory authorities. To avoid these inequities in a future pandemic, we focus on three successful vaccine development and technology transfer case studies-the Hepatitis B vaccine produced in South Korea in the 1980s; the Meningitis A vaccine for Africa led by Program for Appropriate Technologies in Health (PATH) and the World Health Organization (WHO) in the 2000s; and a recombinant SARS CoV-2 protein-based vaccine technology from the Texas Children's Hospital transferred to India and to Indonesia. In addition to expanding support for academic or non-profit product development partnerships, our analysis finds that an essential step is the strengthening of selected LMIC regulatory systems to become Stringent Regulatory Authorities (SRAs), together with a re-prioritization of the WHO Prequalification (PQ) system to ensure early vaccine availability in LMICs especially during pandemics. Advancing LMIC National Regulatory Authorities (NRAs) to Stringent Regulatory Authorities (SRAs) status will require substantial resources, but the benefits for future pandemic control and for health in LMIC would be immense. We call on the WHO, United Nation (UN) agencies and SRAs, to collaborate and implement a comprehensive roadmap to support LMIC regulators to achieve stringent status by 2030.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Richard Mahoney
- Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Peter J. Hotez
- Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States of America
- Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States of America
- Department of Biology, Baylor University, Waco, Texas, United States of America
- James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy, Rice University, Houston, Texas, United States of America
- Hagler Institute for Advanced Study at Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America
| | - Maria Elena Bottazzi
- Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States of America
- Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States of America
- Department of Biology, Baylor University, Waco, Texas, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Nagar G, Jain S, Rajurkar M, Lothe R, Rao H, Majumdar S, Gautam M, Rodriguez-Aponte SA, Crowell LE, Love JC, Dandekar P, Puranik A, Gairola S, Shaligram U, Jain R. Large-Scale Purification and Characterization of Recombinant Receptor-Binding Domain (RBD) of SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein Expressed in Yeast. Vaccines (Basel) 2023; 11:1602. [PMID: 37897004 PMCID: PMC10610970 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines11101602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2023] [Revised: 10/02/2023] [Accepted: 10/09/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 spike protein is an essential component of numerous protein-based vaccines for COVID-19. The receptor-binding domain of this spike protein is a promising antigen with ease of expression in microbial hosts and scalability at comparatively low production costs. This study describes the production, purification, and characterization of RBD of SARS-CoV-2 protein, which is currently in clinical trials, from a commercialization perspective. The protein was expressed in Pichia pastoris in a large-scale bioreactor of 1200 L capacity. Protein capture and purification are conducted through mixed-mode chromatography followed by hydrophobic interaction chromatography. This two-step purification process produced RBD with an overall productivity of ~21 mg/L at >99% purity. The protein's primary, secondary, and tertiary structures were also verified using LCMS-based peptide mapping, circular dichroism, and fluorescence spectroscopy, respectively. The glycoprotein was further characterized for quality attributes such as glycosylation, molecular weight, purity, di-sulfide bonding, etc. Through structural analysis, it was confirmed that the product maintained a consistent quality across different batches during the large-scale production process. The binding capacity of RBD of spike protein was also assessed using human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 receptor. A low binding constant range of KD values, ranging between 3.63 × 10-8 to 6.67 × 10-8, demonstrated a high affinity for the ACE2 receptor, revealing this protein as a promising candidate to prevent the entry of COVID-19 virus.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gaurav Nagar
- Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd., Hadapsar, Pune 411028, India; (G.N.); (S.G.)
| | - Siddharth Jain
- Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd., Hadapsar, Pune 411028, India; (G.N.); (S.G.)
| | - Meghraj Rajurkar
- Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd., Hadapsar, Pune 411028, India; (G.N.); (S.G.)
| | - Rakesh Lothe
- Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd., Hadapsar, Pune 411028, India; (G.N.); (S.G.)
| | - Harish Rao
- Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd., Hadapsar, Pune 411028, India; (G.N.); (S.G.)
| | - Sourav Majumdar
- Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd., Hadapsar, Pune 411028, India; (G.N.); (S.G.)
| | - Manish Gautam
- Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd., Hadapsar, Pune 411028, India; (G.N.); (S.G.)
| | - Sergio A. Rodriguez-Aponte
- Department of Biological Engineering, Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA;
| | - Laura E. Crowell
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; (L.E.C.); (J.C.L.)
| | - J. Christopher Love
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; (L.E.C.); (J.C.L.)
| | - Prajakta Dandekar
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technology, Institute of Chemical Technology, Matunga, Mumbai 400019, India;
| | - Amita Puranik
- Department of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Institute of Chemical Technology, Matunga, Mumbai 400019, India
| | - Sunil Gairola
- Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd., Hadapsar, Pune 411028, India; (G.N.); (S.G.)
| | - Umesh Shaligram
- Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd., Hadapsar, Pune 411028, India; (G.N.); (S.G.)
| | - Ratnesh Jain
- Department of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Institute of Chemical Technology, Matunga, Mumbai 400019, India
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Thimmiraju SR, Adhikari R, Villar MJ, Lee J, Liu Z, Kundu R, Chen YL, Sharma S, Ghei K, Keegan B, Versteeg L, Gillespie PM, Ciciriello A, Islam NY, Poveda C, Uzcategui N, Chen WH, Kimata JT, Zhan B, Strych U, Bottazzi ME, Hotez PJ, Pollet J. A Recombinant Protein XBB.1.5 RBD/Alum/CpG Vaccine Elicits High Neutralizing Antibody Titers against Omicron Subvariants of SARS-CoV-2. Vaccines (Basel) 2023; 11:1557. [PMID: 37896960 PMCID: PMC10610638 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines11101557] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2023] [Revised: 09/22/2023] [Accepted: 09/29/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
(1) Background: We previously reported the development of a recombinant protein SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, consisting of the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, adjuvanted with aluminum hydroxide (alum) and CpG oligonucleotides. In mice and non-human primates, our wild-type (WT) RBD vaccine induced high neutralizing antibody titers against the WT isolate of the virus, and, with partners in India and Indonesia, it was later developed into two closely resembling human vaccines, Corbevax and Indovac. Here, we describe the development and characterization of a next-generation vaccine adapted to the recently emerging XBB variants of SARS-CoV-2. (2) Methods: We conducted preclinical studies in mice using a novel yeast-produced SARS-CoV-2 XBB.1.5 RBD subunit vaccine candidate formulated with alum and CpG. We examined the neutralization profile of sera obtained from mice vaccinated twice intramuscularly at a 21-day interval with the XBB.1.5-based RBD vaccine, against WT, Beta, Delta, BA.4, BQ.1.1, BA.2.75.2, XBB.1.16, XBB.1.5, and EG.5.1 SARS-CoV-2 pseudoviruses. (3) Results: The XBB.1.5 RBD/CpG/alum vaccine elicited a robust antibody response in mice. Furthermore, the serum from vaccinated mice demonstrated potent neutralization against the XBB.1.5 pseudovirus as well as several other Omicron pseudoviruses. However, regardless of the high antibody cross-reactivity with ELISA, the anti-XBB.1.5 RBD antigen serum showed low neutralizing titers against the WT and Delta virus variants. (4) Conclusions: Whereas we observed modest cross-neutralization against Omicron subvariants with the sera from mice vaccinated with the WT RBD/CpG/Alum vaccine or with the BA.4/5-based vaccine, the sera raised against the XBB.1.5 RBD showed robust cross-neutralization. These findings underscore the imminent opportunity for an updated vaccine formulation utilizing the XBB.1.5 RBD antigen.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Syamala Rani Thimmiraju
- Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Houston, TX 77030, USA (M.J.V.); (J.L.); (Z.L.); (R.K.); (Y.-L.C.); (A.C.); (C.P.); (N.U.); (W.-H.C.); (B.Z.); (M.E.B.)
- Department of Pediatrics, National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Rakesh Adhikari
- Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Houston, TX 77030, USA (M.J.V.); (J.L.); (Z.L.); (R.K.); (Y.-L.C.); (A.C.); (C.P.); (N.U.); (W.-H.C.); (B.Z.); (M.E.B.)
- Department of Pediatrics, National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Maria Jose Villar
- Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Houston, TX 77030, USA (M.J.V.); (J.L.); (Z.L.); (R.K.); (Y.-L.C.); (A.C.); (C.P.); (N.U.); (W.-H.C.); (B.Z.); (M.E.B.)
- Department of Pediatrics, National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Jungsoon Lee
- Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Houston, TX 77030, USA (M.J.V.); (J.L.); (Z.L.); (R.K.); (Y.-L.C.); (A.C.); (C.P.); (N.U.); (W.-H.C.); (B.Z.); (M.E.B.)
- Department of Pediatrics, National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Zhuyun Liu
- Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Houston, TX 77030, USA (M.J.V.); (J.L.); (Z.L.); (R.K.); (Y.-L.C.); (A.C.); (C.P.); (N.U.); (W.-H.C.); (B.Z.); (M.E.B.)
- Department of Pediatrics, National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Rakhi Kundu
- Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Houston, TX 77030, USA (M.J.V.); (J.L.); (Z.L.); (R.K.); (Y.-L.C.); (A.C.); (C.P.); (N.U.); (W.-H.C.); (B.Z.); (M.E.B.)
- Department of Pediatrics, National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Yi-Lin Chen
- Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Houston, TX 77030, USA (M.J.V.); (J.L.); (Z.L.); (R.K.); (Y.-L.C.); (A.C.); (C.P.); (N.U.); (W.-H.C.); (B.Z.); (M.E.B.)
- Department of Pediatrics, National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Suman Sharma
- Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA; (S.S.); (K.G.)
| | - Karm Ghei
- Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA; (S.S.); (K.G.)
| | - Brian Keegan
- Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Houston, TX 77030, USA (M.J.V.); (J.L.); (Z.L.); (R.K.); (Y.-L.C.); (A.C.); (C.P.); (N.U.); (W.-H.C.); (B.Z.); (M.E.B.)
- Department of Pediatrics, National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Leroy Versteeg
- Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Houston, TX 77030, USA (M.J.V.); (J.L.); (Z.L.); (R.K.); (Y.-L.C.); (A.C.); (C.P.); (N.U.); (W.-H.C.); (B.Z.); (M.E.B.)
- Department of Pediatrics, National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Portia M. Gillespie
- Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Houston, TX 77030, USA (M.J.V.); (J.L.); (Z.L.); (R.K.); (Y.-L.C.); (A.C.); (C.P.); (N.U.); (W.-H.C.); (B.Z.); (M.E.B.)
- Department of Pediatrics, National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Allan Ciciriello
- Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Houston, TX 77030, USA (M.J.V.); (J.L.); (Z.L.); (R.K.); (Y.-L.C.); (A.C.); (C.P.); (N.U.); (W.-H.C.); (B.Z.); (M.E.B.)
- Department of Pediatrics, National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Nelufa Y. Islam
- Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Houston, TX 77030, USA (M.J.V.); (J.L.); (Z.L.); (R.K.); (Y.-L.C.); (A.C.); (C.P.); (N.U.); (W.-H.C.); (B.Z.); (M.E.B.)
- Department of Pediatrics, National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Cristina Poveda
- Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Houston, TX 77030, USA (M.J.V.); (J.L.); (Z.L.); (R.K.); (Y.-L.C.); (A.C.); (C.P.); (N.U.); (W.-H.C.); (B.Z.); (M.E.B.)
- Department of Pediatrics, National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Nestor Uzcategui
- Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Houston, TX 77030, USA (M.J.V.); (J.L.); (Z.L.); (R.K.); (Y.-L.C.); (A.C.); (C.P.); (N.U.); (W.-H.C.); (B.Z.); (M.E.B.)
- Department of Pediatrics, National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Wen-Hsiang Chen
- Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Houston, TX 77030, USA (M.J.V.); (J.L.); (Z.L.); (R.K.); (Y.-L.C.); (A.C.); (C.P.); (N.U.); (W.-H.C.); (B.Z.); (M.E.B.)
- Department of Pediatrics, National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Jason T. Kimata
- Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA; (S.S.); (K.G.)
| | - Bin Zhan
- Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Houston, TX 77030, USA (M.J.V.); (J.L.); (Z.L.); (R.K.); (Y.-L.C.); (A.C.); (C.P.); (N.U.); (W.-H.C.); (B.Z.); (M.E.B.)
- Department of Pediatrics, National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Ulrich Strych
- Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Houston, TX 77030, USA (M.J.V.); (J.L.); (Z.L.); (R.K.); (Y.-L.C.); (A.C.); (C.P.); (N.U.); (W.-H.C.); (B.Z.); (M.E.B.)
- Department of Pediatrics, National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Maria Elena Bottazzi
- Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Houston, TX 77030, USA (M.J.V.); (J.L.); (Z.L.); (R.K.); (Y.-L.C.); (A.C.); (C.P.); (N.U.); (W.-H.C.); (B.Z.); (M.E.B.)
- Department of Pediatrics, National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Department of Biology, Baylor University, Waco, TX 76706, USA
- James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, USA
| | - Peter J. Hotez
- Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Houston, TX 77030, USA (M.J.V.); (J.L.); (Z.L.); (R.K.); (Y.-L.C.); (A.C.); (C.P.); (N.U.); (W.-H.C.); (B.Z.); (M.E.B.)
- Department of Pediatrics, National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Department of Biology, Baylor University, Waco, TX 76706, USA
- James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, USA
| | - Jeroen Pollet
- Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Houston, TX 77030, USA (M.J.V.); (J.L.); (Z.L.); (R.K.); (Y.-L.C.); (A.C.); (C.P.); (N.U.); (W.-H.C.); (B.Z.); (M.E.B.)
- Department of Pediatrics, National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Laotee S, Duangkaew M, Jivapetthai A, Tharakhet K, Kaewpang P, Prompetchara E, Phumiamorn S, Sapsutthipas S, Trisiriwanich S, Somsaard T, Roytrakul S, Duangkhae P, Ongpipattanakul B, Limpikirati P, Pornputtapong N, Arunmanee W. CHO-produced RBD-Fc subunit vaccines with alternative adjuvants generate immune responses against SARS-CoV-2. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0288486. [PMID: 37450510 PMCID: PMC10348575 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0288486] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2023] [Accepted: 06/28/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Subunit vaccines feature critical advantages over other vaccine platforms such as stability, price, and minimal adverse effects. To maximize immunological protection of subunit vaccines, adjuvants are considered as main components that are formulated within the subunit vaccine. They can modulate adverse effects and enhance immune outcomes. However, the most suitable formulation providing the best immunological outcomes and safety are still under investigation. In this report, we combined recombinant RBD with human IgG1 Fc to create an RBD dimer. This fusion protein was expressed in CHO and formulated with alternative adjuvants with different immune activation including Montanide ISA51, Poly (I:C), and MPLA/Quil-A® as potential vaccine candidate formulations. Using the murine model, a potent induction of anti-RBD IgG antibodies in immunized mice sera were observed. IgG subclass analyses (IgG1/IgG2a) illustrated that all adjuvanted formulations could stimulate both Th1 and Th2-type immune responses in particular Poly (I:C) and MPLA/Quil-A®, eliciting greater balance. In addition, Montanide ISA51-formulated RBD-Fc vaccination provided a promising level of neutralizing antibodies against live wild-type SARS-CoV-2 in vitro followed by Poly (I:C) and MPLA/Quil-A®, respectively. Also, mice sera from adjuvanted formulations could strongly inhibit RBD:ACE2 interaction. This study offers immunogenicity profiles, forecasted safety based on Vaccine-associated enhanced disease (VAED) caused by Th1-skewed immunity, and neutralizing antibody analysis of candidates of RBD-Fc-based subunit vaccine formulations to obtain an alternative subunit vaccine formulation against SARS-CoV-2.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sedthawut Laotee
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Methawee Duangkaew
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Araya Jivapetthai
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Kittipan Tharakhet
- Center of Excellence in Vaccine Research and Development (Chula Vaccine Research Center, Chula VRC), Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Papatsara Kaewpang
- Center of Excellence in Vaccine Research and Development (Chula Vaccine Research Center, Chula VRC), Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Eakachai Prompetchara
- Center of Excellence in Vaccine Research and Development (Chula Vaccine Research Center, Chula VRC), Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Integrated Frontier Biotechnology for Emerging Disease, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Supaporn Phumiamorn
- Institute of Biological Products, Department of Medical Sciences, Ministry of Public Health, Nonthaburi, Thailand
| | - Sompong Sapsutthipas
- Institute of Biological Products, Department of Medical Sciences, Ministry of Public Health, Nonthaburi, Thailand
| | - Sakalin Trisiriwanich
- Institute of Biological Products, Department of Medical Sciences, Ministry of Public Health, Nonthaburi, Thailand
| | - Thitiporn Somsaard
- Institute of Biological Products, Department of Medical Sciences, Ministry of Public Health, Nonthaburi, Thailand
| | - Sittiruk Roytrakul
- Functional Proteomics Technology Laboratory, National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, National Science and Technology for Development Agency, Pathumthani, Thailand
| | - Parichat Duangkhae
- Viral Vaccine Unit, Biologics Research Group, Research and Development Institute, The Government Pharmaceutical Organization, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Boonsri Ongpipattanakul
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Patanachai Limpikirati
- Department of Food and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Natapol Pornputtapong
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Wanatchaporn Arunmanee
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Center of Excellence in Cancer Cell and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Thuluva S, Paradkar V, Gunneri S, Yerroju V, Mogulla R, Suneetha PV, Turaga K, Kyasani M, Manoharan SK, Adabala S, Sri Javvadi A, Medigeshi G, Singh J, Shaman H, Binayke A, Zaheer A, Awasthi A, Singh C, Rao A V, Basu I, Kumar KAA, Pandey AK. Immunogenicity and safety of Biological E's CORBEVAX™ vaccine compared to COVISHIELD™ (ChAdOx1 nCoV-19) vaccine studied in a phase-3, single blind, multicentre, randomized clinical trial. Hum Vaccin Immunother 2023:2203632. [PMID: 37113012 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2023.2203632] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Optimum formulation of Biological-E's protein subunit CORBEVAX™ vaccine was selected in phase-1 and -2 studies and found to be safe and immunogenic in healthy adult population. This is a phase-3 prospective, single-blinded, randomized, active controlled study conducted at 18 sites across India in 18-80 year-old subjects. This study has two groups; (i) immunogenicity-group, participants randomized either to CORBEVAX™ (n = 319) or COVISHIELD™ arms (n = 320). (ii) Safety-group containing single CORBEVAX™ arm (n = 1500) and randomization is not applicable. Healthy adults without a history of COVID-19 vaccination or SARS-CoV-2 infection were enrolled into immunogenicity arm and subjects seronegative to SARS-CoV-2 infection were enrolled into the safety arm. The safety profile of CORBEVAX™ vaccine was comparable to the comparator vaccine COVISHIELD™. Majority of reported AEs were mild in nature in both arms. The CORBEVAX™ to COVISHIELD™ GMT-ratios at day-42 time-point were 1·15 and 1·56 and the lower limit of the 95% confidence interval for the GMT-ratios was determined as 1·02 and 1·27 against Ancestral and Delta strains of SARS-COV-2 respectively. Both COVISHIELD™ and CORBEVAX™ vaccines showed comparable seroconversion post-vaccination against anti-RBD-IgG response. The subjects in CORBEVAX™ cohort also exhibited higher interferon-gamma secreting PBMC's post-stimulation with SARS-COV-2 RBD-peptides than subjects in COVISHIELD™ cohort.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Subhash Thuluva
- Clinical Development, Biological E Limited, Hyderabad, India
| | - Vikram Paradkar
- Clinical Development, Biological E Limited, Hyderabad, India
| | | | - Vijay Yerroju
- Clinical Development, Biological E Limited, Hyderabad, India
| | | | | | - Kishore Turaga
- Clinical Development, Biological E Limited, Hyderabad, India
| | - Mahesh Kyasani
- Clinical Development, Biological E Limited, Hyderabad, India
| | | | | | | | - Guruprasad Medigeshi
- Bioassay Laboratory, Translational Health Science and Technology Institute, Faridabad, India
| | - Janmejay Singh
- Bioassay Laboratory, Translational Health Science and Technology Institute, Faridabad, India
| | - Heena Shaman
- Bioassay Laboratory, Translational Health Science and Technology Institute, Faridabad, India
| | - Akshay Binayke
- Bioassay Laboratory, Translational Health Science and Technology Institute, Faridabad, India
| | - Aymaan Zaheer
- Bioassay Laboratory, Translational Health Science and Technology Institute, Faridabad, India
| | - Amit Awasthi
- Bioassay Laboratory, Translational Health Science and Technology Institute, Faridabad, India
| | - Chandramani Singh
- Department of Community and Family Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Patna, India
| | - Venkateshwar Rao A
- Department of General Medicine, St. Theresa's Hospital, Hyderabad, India
| | - Indranil Basu
- Department of General Medicine, Shubham Sudbhawana Hospital, Varanasi, India
| | | | - Anil Kumar Pandey
- Department of Physiology, ESIC Medical College & Hospital, Faridabad, India
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Campbell E, Dobkin J, Osorio LJ, Kolloli A, Ramasamy S, Kumar R, Sant'Angelo DB, Subbian S, Denzin LK, Anderson S. A SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine Designed for Manufacturability Results in Unexpected Potency and Non-Waning Humoral Response. Vaccines (Basel) 2023; 11:vaccines11040832. [PMID: 37112744 PMCID: PMC10145385 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines11040832] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2023] [Revised: 04/03/2023] [Accepted: 04/07/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The rapid development of several highly efficacious SARS-CoV-2 vaccines was an unprecedented scientific achievement that saved millions of lives. However, now that SARS-CoV-2 is transitioning to the endemic stage, there exists an unmet need for new vaccines that provide durable immunity and protection against variants and can be more easily manufactured and distributed. Here, we describe a novel protein component vaccine candidate, MT-001, based on a fragment of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein that encompasses the receptor binding domain (RBD). Mice and hamsters immunized with a prime-boost regimen of MT-001 demonstrated extremely high anti-spike IgG titers, and remarkably this humoral response did not appreciably wane for up to 12 months following vaccination. Further, virus neutralization titers, including titers against variants such as Delta and Omicron BA.1, remained high without the requirement for subsequent boosting. MT-001 was designed for manufacturability and ease of distribution, and we demonstrate that these attributes are not inconsistent with a highly immunogenic vaccine that confers durable and broad immunity to SARS-CoV-2 and its emerging variants. These properties suggest MT-001 could be a valuable new addition to the toolbox of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines and other interventions to prevent infection and curtail additional morbidity and mortality from the ongoing worldwide pandemic.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Elliot Campbell
- Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
- Macrotope, Inc., Princeton, NJ 08540, USA
| | - Julie Dobkin
- Child Health Institute of New Jersey, Department of Pediatrics and Pharmacology, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA
- Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA
| | - Louis J Osorio
- Child Health Institute of New Jersey, Department of Pediatrics and Pharmacology, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA
| | - Afsal Kolloli
- Public Health Research Institute (PHRI), New Jersey Medical School, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ 07103, USA
| | - Santhamani Ramasamy
- Public Health Research Institute (PHRI), New Jersey Medical School, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ 07103, USA
| | - Ranjeet Kumar
- Public Health Research Institute (PHRI), New Jersey Medical School, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ 07103, USA
| | - Derek B Sant'Angelo
- Child Health Institute of New Jersey, Department of Pediatrics and Pharmacology, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA
| | - Selvakumar Subbian
- Public Health Research Institute (PHRI), New Jersey Medical School, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ 07103, USA
| | - Lisa K Denzin
- Child Health Institute of New Jersey, Department of Pediatrics and Pharmacology, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA
| | - Stephen Anderson
- Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
- Macrotope, Inc., Princeton, NJ 08540, USA
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Kalyoncu S, Yilmaz S, Kuyucu AZ, Sayili D, Mert O, Soyturk H, Gullu S, Akinturk H, Citak E, Arslan M, Taskinarda MG, Tarman IO, Altun GY, Ozer C, Orkut R, Demirtas A, Tilmensagir I, Keles U, Ulker C, Aralan G, Mercan Y, Ozkan M, Caglar HO, Arik G, Ucar MC, Yildirim M, Yildirim TC, Karadag D, Bal E, Erdogan A, Senturk S, Uzar S, Enul H, Adiay C, Sarac F, Ekiz AT, Abaci I, Aksoy O, Polat HU, Tekin S, Dimitrov S, Ozkul A, Wingender G, Gursel I, Ozturk M, Inan M. Process development for an effective COVID-19 vaccine candidate harboring recombinant SARS-CoV-2 delta plus receptor binding domain produced by Pichia pastoris. Sci Rep 2023; 13:5224. [PMID: 36997624 PMCID: PMC10062263 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-32021-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2022] [Accepted: 03/21/2023] [Indexed: 04/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Recombinant protein-based SARS-CoV-2 vaccines are needed to fill the vaccine equity gap. Because protein-subunit based vaccines are easier and cheaper to produce and do not require special storage/transportation conditions, they are suitable for low-/middle-income countries. Here, we report our vaccine development studies with the receptor binding domain of the SARS-CoV-2 Delta Plus strain (RBD-DP) which caused increased hospitalizations compared to other variants. First, we expressed RBD-DP in the Pichia pastoris yeast system and upscaled it to a 5-L fermenter for production. After three-step purification, we obtained RBD-DP with > 95% purity from a protein yield of > 1 g/L of supernatant. Several biophysical and biochemical characterizations were performed to confirm its identity, stability, and functionality. Then, it was formulated in different contents with Alum and CpG for mice immunization. After three doses of immunization, IgG titers from sera reached to > 106 and most importantly it showed high T-cell responses which are required for an effective vaccine to prevent severe COVID-19 disease. A live neutralization test was performed with both the Wuhan strain (B.1.1.7) and Delta strain (B.1.617.2) and it showed high neutralization antibody content for both strains. A challenge study with SARS-CoV-2 infected K18-hACE2 transgenic mice showed good immunoprotective activity with no viruses in the lungs and no lung inflammation for all immunized mice.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Semiramis Yilmaz
- Izmir Biomedicine and Genome Center, Izmir, Turkey
- VIB-UGent Center for Medical Biotechnology, Gent, Belgium
| | | | - Dogu Sayili
- Izmir Biomedicine and Genome Center, Izmir, Turkey
| | - Olcay Mert
- Izmir Biomedicine and Genome Center, Izmir, Turkey
| | | | - Seyda Gullu
- Izmir Biomedicine and Genome Center, Izmir, Turkey
| | | | - Erhan Citak
- Izmir Biomedicine and Genome Center, Izmir, Turkey
- VIB-UGent Center for Medical Biotechnology, Gent, Belgium
| | - Merve Arslan
- Izmir Biomedicine and Genome Center, Izmir, Turkey
- Izmir International Biomedicine and Genome Institute, Dokuz Eylul University, Izmir, Turkey
| | | | | | | | - Ceren Ozer
- Izmir Biomedicine and Genome Center, Izmir, Turkey
- Izmir International Biomedicine and Genome Institute, Dokuz Eylul University, Izmir, Turkey
| | - Ridvan Orkut
- Izmir Biomedicine and Genome Center, Izmir, Turkey
| | | | | | - Umur Keles
- Izmir Biomedicine and Genome Center, Izmir, Turkey
- Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Ceren Ulker
- Izmir Biomedicine and Genome Center, Izmir, Turkey
| | - Gizem Aralan
- Izmir Biomedicine and Genome Center, Izmir, Turkey
| | - Yavuz Mercan
- Izmir Biomedicine and Genome Center, Izmir, Turkey
- Izmir International Biomedicine and Genome Institute, Dokuz Eylul University, Izmir, Turkey
| | - Muge Ozkan
- Izmir Biomedicine and Genome Center, Izmir, Turkey
| | - Hasan Onur Caglar
- Izmir Biomedicine and Genome Center, Izmir, Turkey
- Erzurum Technical University, Erzurum, Turkey
| | - Gizem Arik
- Izmir Biomedicine and Genome Center, Izmir, Turkey
- Ankara Medipol University, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Mehmet Can Ucar
- Izmir Biomedicine and Genome Center, Izmir, Turkey
- Imperial College London, London, UK
| | | | | | | | - Erhan Bal
- Izmir Biomedicine and Genome Center, Izmir, Turkey
- Izmir Tinaztepe University, Izmir, Turkey
| | - Aybike Erdogan
- Izmir Biomedicine and Genome Center, Izmir, Turkey
- Izmir International Biomedicine and Genome Institute, Dokuz Eylul University, Izmir, Turkey
| | - Serif Senturk
- Izmir Biomedicine and Genome Center, Izmir, Turkey
- Izmir International Biomedicine and Genome Institute, Dokuz Eylul University, Izmir, Turkey
| | - Serdar Uzar
- Pendik Veterinary Research and Control Institute, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Hakan Enul
- Pendik Veterinary Research and Control Institute, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Cumhur Adiay
- Pendik Veterinary Research and Control Institute, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Fahriye Sarac
- Pendik Veterinary Research and Control Institute, Istanbul, Turkey
| | | | - Irem Abaci
- Marmara Research Center, TUBITAK, Kocaeli, Turkey
| | - Ozge Aksoy
- Marmara Research Center, TUBITAK, Kocaeli, Turkey
| | | | - Saban Tekin
- Marmara Research Center, TUBITAK, Kocaeli, Turkey
- University of Health Sciences, Istanbul, Turkey
| | | | | | | | - Ihsan Gursel
- Izmir Biomedicine and Genome Center, Izmir, Turkey
| | - Mehmet Ozturk
- Izmir Biomedicine and Genome Center, Izmir, Turkey
- Izmir Tinaztepe University, Izmir, Turkey
| | - Mehmet Inan
- Izmir Biomedicine and Genome Center, Izmir, Turkey.
- Akdeniz University, Antalya, Turkey.
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Koopman G, Amacker M, Stegmann T, Verschoor EJ, Verstrepen BE, Bhoelan F, Bemelman D, Böszörményi KP, Fagrouch Z, Kiemenyi-Kayere G, Mortier D, Verel DE, Niphuis H, Acar RF, Kondova I, Kap YS, Bogers WMJM, Mooij P, Fleury S. A low dose of RBD and TLR7/8 agonist displayed on influenza virosome particles protects rhesus macaque against SARS-CoV-2 challenge. Sci Rep 2023; 13:5074. [PMID: 36977691 PMCID: PMC10044094 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-31818-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2023] [Accepted: 03/17/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Influenza virosomes serve as antigen delivery vehicles and pre-existing immunity toward influenza improves the immune responses toward antigens. Here, vaccine efficacy was evaluated in non-human primates with a COVID-19 virosome-based vaccine containing a low dose of RBD protein (15 µg) and the adjuvant 3M-052 (1 µg), displayed together on virosomes. Vaccinated animals (n = 6) received two intramuscular administrations at week 0 and 4 and challenged with SARS-CoV-2 at week 8, together with unvaccinated control animals (n = 4). The vaccine was safe and well tolerated and serum RBD IgG antibodies were induced in all animals and in the nasal washes and bronchoalveolar lavages in the three youngest animals. All control animals became strongly sgRNA positive in BAL, while all vaccinated animals were protected, although the oldest vaccinated animal (V1) was transiently weakly positive. The three youngest animals had also no detectable sgRNA in nasal wash and throat. Cross-strain serum neutralizing antibodies toward Wuhan-like, Alpha, Beta, and Delta viruses were observed in animals with the highest serum titers. Pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-8, CXCL-10 and IL-6 were increased in BALs of infected control animals but not in vaccinated animals. Virosomes-RBD/3M-052 prevented severe SARS-CoV-2, as shown by a lower total lung inflammatory pathology score than control animals.
Collapse
Grants
- TRANSVAC2 2002-08-AVVAX-COVID-19, TRANSVAC2_TNA2002-08 European Commission
- TRANSVAC2 2002-08-AVVAX-COVID-19, TRANSVAC2_TNA2002-08 European Commission
- TRANSVAC2 2002-08-AVVAX-COVID-19, TRANSVAC2_TNA2002-08 European Commission
- TRANSVAC2 2002-08-AVVAX-COVID-19, TRANSVAC2_TNA2002-08 European Commission
- TRANSVAC2 2002-08-AVVAX-COVID-19, TRANSVAC2_TNA2002-08 European Commission
- TRANSVAC2 2002-08-AVVAX-COVID-19, TRANSVAC2_TNA2002-08 European Commission
- TRANSVAC2 2002-08-AVVAX-COVID-19, TRANSVAC2_TNA2002-08 European Commission
- TRANSVAC2 2002-08-AVVAX-COVID-19, TRANSVAC2_TNA2002-08 European Commission
- TRANSVAC2 2002-08-AVVAX-COVID-19, TRANSVAC2_TNA2002-08 European Commission
- TRANSVAC2 2002-08-AVVAX-COVID-19, TRANSVAC2_TNA2002-08 European Commission
- TRANSVAC2 2002-08-AVVAX-COVID-19, TRANSVAC2_TNA2002-08 European Commission
- TRANSVAC2 2002-08-AVVAX-COVID-19, TRANSVAC2_TNA2002-08 European Commission
- TRANSVAC2 2002-08-AVVAX-COVID-19, TRANSVAC2_TNA2002-08 European Commission
- TRANSVAC2 2002-08-AVVAX-COVID-19, TRANSVAC2_TNA2002-08 European Commission
- TRANSVAC2 2002-08-AVVAX-COVID-19, TRANSVAC2_TNA2002-08 European Commission
- TRANSVAC2 2002-08-AVVAX-COVID-19, TRANSVAC2_TNA2002-08 European Commission
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gerrit Koopman
- Department of Virology, Biomedical Primate Research Centre (BPRC), Rijswijk, The Netherlands.
| | - Mario Amacker
- Mymetics SA, 4 Route de La Corniche, 1066, Epalinges, Switzerland
- Department for BioMedical Research DBMR, Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, 3008, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Toon Stegmann
- Mymetics BV, JH Oortweg 21, 2333 CH, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Ernst J Verschoor
- Department of Virology, Biomedical Primate Research Centre (BPRC), Rijswijk, The Netherlands
| | - Babs E Verstrepen
- Department of Virology, Biomedical Primate Research Centre (BPRC), Rijswijk, The Netherlands
| | - Farien Bhoelan
- Mymetics BV, JH Oortweg 21, 2333 CH, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Denzel Bemelman
- Mymetics BV, JH Oortweg 21, 2333 CH, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Kinga P Böszörményi
- Department of Virology, Biomedical Primate Research Centre (BPRC), Rijswijk, The Netherlands
| | - Zahra Fagrouch
- Department of Virology, Biomedical Primate Research Centre (BPRC), Rijswijk, The Netherlands
| | | | - Daniella Mortier
- Department of Virology, Biomedical Primate Research Centre (BPRC), Rijswijk, The Netherlands
| | - Dagmar E Verel
- Department of Virology, Biomedical Primate Research Centre (BPRC), Rijswijk, The Netherlands
| | - Henk Niphuis
- Department of Virology, Biomedical Primate Research Centre (BPRC), Rijswijk, The Netherlands
| | - Roja Fidel Acar
- Department of Virology, Biomedical Primate Research Centre (BPRC), Rijswijk, The Netherlands
| | - Ivanela Kondova
- Animal Science Department, Biomedical Primate Research Centre (BPRC), Rijswijk, The Netherlands
| | - Yolanda S Kap
- Department of Virology, Biomedical Primate Research Centre (BPRC), Rijswijk, The Netherlands
| | - Willy M J M Bogers
- Department of Virology, Biomedical Primate Research Centre (BPRC), Rijswijk, The Netherlands
| | - Petra Mooij
- Department of Virology, Biomedical Primate Research Centre (BPRC), Rijswijk, The Netherlands
| | - Sylvain Fleury
- Mymetics SA, 4 Route de La Corniche, 1066, Epalinges, Switzerland.
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Dickey TH, Ma R, Orr-Gonzalez S, Ouahes T, Patel P, McAleese H, Butler B, Eudy E, Eaton B, Murphy M, Kwan JL, Salinas ND, Holbrook MR, Lambert LE, Tolia NH. Design of a stabilized RBD enables potently neutralizing SARS-CoV-2 single-component nanoparticle vaccines. Cell Rep 2023; 42:112266. [PMID: 36943870 PMCID: PMC9986124 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112266] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2022] [Revised: 01/27/2023] [Accepted: 02/23/2023] [Indexed: 03/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Waning immunity and emerging variants necessitate continued vaccination against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Improvements in vaccine safety, tolerability, and ease of manufacturing would benefit these efforts. Here, we develop a potent and easily manufactured nanoparticle vaccine displaying the spike receptor-binding domain (RBD). Computational design to stabilize the RBD, eliminate glycosylation, and focus the immune response to neutralizing epitopes results in an RBD immunogen that resolves issues hindering the efficient nanoparticle display of the native RBD. This non-glycosylated RBD can be genetically fused to diverse single-component nanoparticle platforms, maximizing manufacturing ease and flexibility. All engineered RBD nanoparticles elicit potently neutralizing antibodies in mice that far exceed monomeric RBDs. A 60-copy particle (noNAG-RBD-E2p) also elicits potently neutralizing antibodies in non-human primates. The neutralizing antibody titers elicited by noNAG-RBD-E2p are comparable to a benchmark stabilized spike antigen and reach levels against Omicron BA.5 that suggest that it would provide protection against emerging variants.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Thayne H Dickey
- Laboratory of Malaria Immunology and Vaccinology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD 20894, USA
| | - Rui Ma
- Laboratory of Malaria Immunology and Vaccinology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD 20894, USA
| | - Sachy Orr-Gonzalez
- Laboratory of Malaria Immunology and Vaccinology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD 20894, USA
| | - Tarik Ouahes
- Laboratory of Malaria Immunology and Vaccinology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD 20894, USA
| | - Palak Patel
- Laboratory of Malaria Immunology and Vaccinology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD 20894, USA
| | - Holly McAleese
- Laboratory of Malaria Immunology and Vaccinology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD 20894, USA
| | - Brandi Butler
- Laboratory of Malaria Immunology and Vaccinology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD 20894, USA
| | - Elizabeth Eudy
- Integrated Research Facility, Division of Clinical Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health (NIH), Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Brett Eaton
- Integrated Research Facility, Division of Clinical Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health (NIH), Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Michael Murphy
- Integrated Research Facility, Division of Clinical Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health (NIH), Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Jennifer L Kwan
- Epidemiology and Population Studies Unit, Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD 20894, USA
| | - Nichole D Salinas
- Laboratory of Malaria Immunology and Vaccinology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD 20894, USA
| | - Michael R Holbrook
- Integrated Research Facility, Division of Clinical Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health (NIH), Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Lynn E Lambert
- Laboratory of Malaria Immunology and Vaccinology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD 20894, USA
| | - Niraj H Tolia
- Laboratory of Malaria Immunology and Vaccinology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD 20894, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Raoufi E, Hosseini F, Onagh B, Salehi-Shadkami M, Mehrali M, Mohsenzadegan M, Ho JQ, Bigdelou B, Sepand MR, Webster TJ, Zanganeh S, Farajollahi MM. Designing and developing a sensitive and specific SARS-CoV-2 RBD IgG detection kit for identifying positive human samples. Clin Chim Acta 2023; 542:117279. [PMID: 36871661 PMCID: PMC9985519 DOI: 10.1016/j.cca.2023.117279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2023] [Revised: 02/07/2023] [Accepted: 02/28/2023] [Indexed: 03/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND More than 3 y into the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) continues to undergo mutations. In this context, the Receptor Binding Domain (RBD) is the most antigenic region among the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein and has emerged as a promising candidate for immunological development. We designed an IgG-based indirect enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA) kit based on recombinant RBD, which was produced from the laboratory to 10 L industry scales in Pichia pastoris. METHODS A recombinant-RBD comprising 283 residues (31 kDa) was constructed after epitope analyses. The target gene was initially cloned into an Escherichia coli TOP10 genotype and transformed into Pichia pastoris CBS7435 muts for protein production. Production was scaled up in a 10 L fermenter after a 1 L shake-flask cultivation. The product was ultrafiltered and purified using ion-exchange chromatography. IgG-positive human sera for SARS-CoV-2 were employed by an ELISA test to evaluate the antigenicity and specific binding of the produced protein. RESULTS Bioreactor cultivation yielded 4 g/l of the target protein after 160 h of fermentation, and ion-exchange chromatography indicated a purity > 95%. A human serum ELISA test was performed in 4 parts, and the ROC area under the curve (AUC) was > 0.96 for each part. The mean specificity and sensitivity of each part was 100% and 91.5%, respectively. CONCLUSION A highly specific and sensitive IgG-based serologic kit was developed for improved diagnostic purposes in patients with COVID-19 after generating an RBD antigen in Pichia pastoris at laboratory and 10 L fermentation scales.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ehsan Raoufi
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Fatemeh Hosseini
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Bahman Onagh
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Biological Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Marjan Mehrali
- School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Monireh Mohsenzadegan
- Department of Medical Laboratory Science, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Jim Q Ho
- Department of Internal Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Banafsheh Bigdelou
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, Dartmouth, MA, United States
| | - Mohammad Reza Sepand
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, Dartmouth, MA, United States
| | - Thomas J Webster
- School of Health Sciences and Biomedical Engineering, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin, China; School of Engineering, Saveetha University, Chennai, India; Program in Materials Science, UFPI, Teresina, Brazil
| | - Steven Zanganeh
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, Dartmouth, MA, United States.
| | | |
Collapse
|
24
|
Nanishi E, Borriello F, Seo HS, O’Meara TR, McGrath ME, Saito Y, Chen J, Diray-Arce J, Song K, Xu AZ, Barman S, Menon M, Dong D, Caradonna TM, Feldman J, Hauser BM, Schmidt AG, Baden LR, Ernst RK, Dillen C, Yu J, Chang A, Hilgers L, Platenburg PP, Dhe-Paganon S, Barouch DH, Ozonoff A, Zanoni I, Frieman MB, Dowling DJ, Levy O. Carbohydrate fatty acid monosulphate: oil-in-water adjuvant enhances SARS-CoV-2 RBD nanoparticle-induced immunogenicity and protection in mice. NPJ Vaccines 2023; 8:18. [PMID: 36788219 PMCID: PMC9927065 DOI: 10.1038/s41541-023-00610-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2022] [Accepted: 01/24/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Development of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines that protect vulnerable populations is a public health priority. Here, we took a systematic and iterative approach by testing several adjuvants and SARS-CoV-2 antigens to identify a combination that elicits antibodies and protection in young and aged mice. While demonstrating superior immunogenicity to soluble receptor-binding domain (RBD), RBD displayed as a protein nanoparticle (RBD-NP) generated limited antibody responses. Comparison of multiple adjuvants including AddaVax, AddaS03, and AS01B in young and aged mice demonstrated that an oil-in-water emulsion containing carbohydrate fatty acid monosulphate derivative (CMS:O/W) most effectively enhanced RBD-NP-induced cross-neutralizing antibodies and protection across age groups. CMS:O/W enhanced antigen retention in the draining lymph node, induced injection site, and lymph node cytokines, with CMS inducing MyD88-dependent Th1 cytokine polarization. Furthermore, CMS and O/W synergistically induced chemokine production from human PBMCs. Overall, CMS:O/W adjuvant may enhance immunogenicity and protection of vulnerable populations against SARS-CoV-2 and other infectious pathogens.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Etsuro Nanishi
- grid.2515.30000 0004 0378 8438Precision Vaccines Program, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA USA ,grid.38142.3c000000041936754XDepartment of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA USA
| | - Francesco Borriello
- grid.2515.30000 0004 0378 8438Precision Vaccines Program, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA USA ,grid.38142.3c000000041936754XDepartment of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA USA ,grid.2515.30000 0004 0378 8438Division of Immunology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA USA ,Present Address: Generate Biomedicines, Cambridge, MA USA
| | - Hyuk-Soo Seo
- grid.65499.370000 0001 2106 9910Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA USA ,grid.38142.3c000000041936754XDepartment of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA USA
| | - Timothy R. O’Meara
- grid.2515.30000 0004 0378 8438Precision Vaccines Program, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA USA
| | - Marisa E. McGrath
- grid.411024.20000 0001 2175 4264Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Center for Pathogen Research, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD USA
| | - Yoshine Saito
- grid.2515.30000 0004 0378 8438Precision Vaccines Program, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA USA
| | - Jing Chen
- grid.2515.30000 0004 0378 8438Research Computing Group, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA USA
| | - Joann Diray-Arce
- grid.2515.30000 0004 0378 8438Precision Vaccines Program, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA USA ,grid.38142.3c000000041936754XDepartment of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA USA
| | - Kijun Song
- grid.65499.370000 0001 2106 9910Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA USA
| | - Andrew Z. Xu
- grid.65499.370000 0001 2106 9910Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA USA
| | - Soumik Barman
- grid.2515.30000 0004 0378 8438Precision Vaccines Program, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA USA ,grid.38142.3c000000041936754XDepartment of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA USA
| | - Manisha Menon
- grid.2515.30000 0004 0378 8438Precision Vaccines Program, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA USA
| | - Danica Dong
- grid.2515.30000 0004 0378 8438Precision Vaccines Program, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA USA
| | - Timothy M. Caradonna
- grid.461656.60000 0004 0489 3491Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT, and Harvard, Cambridge, MA USA
| | - Jared Feldman
- grid.461656.60000 0004 0489 3491Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT, and Harvard, Cambridge, MA USA
| | - Blake M. Hauser
- grid.461656.60000 0004 0489 3491Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT, and Harvard, Cambridge, MA USA
| | - Aaron G. Schmidt
- grid.461656.60000 0004 0489 3491Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT, and Harvard, Cambridge, MA USA ,grid.38142.3c000000041936754XDepartment of Microbiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA USA
| | - Lindsey R. Baden
- grid.62560.370000 0004 0378 8294Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA USA
| | - Robert K. Ernst
- grid.411024.20000 0001 2175 4264Department of Microbial Pathogenesis, University of Maryland School of Dentistry, Baltimore, MD USA
| | - Carly Dillen
- grid.411024.20000 0001 2175 4264Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Center for Pathogen Research, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD USA
| | - Jingyou Yu
- grid.38142.3c000000041936754XCenter for Virology and Vaccine Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA USA
| | - Aiquan Chang
- grid.38142.3c000000041936754XCenter for Virology and Vaccine Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA USA
| | | | | | - Sirano Dhe-Paganon
- grid.65499.370000 0001 2106 9910Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA USA ,grid.38142.3c000000041936754XDepartment of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA USA
| | - Dan H. Barouch
- grid.38142.3c000000041936754XCenter for Virology and Vaccine Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA USA
| | - Al Ozonoff
- grid.2515.30000 0004 0378 8438Precision Vaccines Program, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA USA ,grid.38142.3c000000041936754XDepartment of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA USA ,grid.66859.340000 0004 0546 1623Broad Institute of MIT & Harvard, Cambridge, MA USA
| | - Ivan Zanoni
- grid.38142.3c000000041936754XDepartment of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA USA ,grid.2515.30000 0004 0378 8438Division of Immunology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA USA
| | - Matthew B. Frieman
- grid.411024.20000 0001 2175 4264Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Center for Pathogen Research, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD USA
| | - David J. Dowling
- grid.2515.30000 0004 0378 8438Precision Vaccines Program, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA USA ,grid.38142.3c000000041936754XDepartment of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA USA
| | - Ofer Levy
- Precision Vaccines Program, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA. .,Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA. .,Broad Institute of MIT & Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Kovalenko A, Ryabchevskaya E, Evtushenko E, Nikitin N, Karpova O. Recombinant Protein Vaccines against Human Betacoronaviruses: Strategies, Approaches and Progress. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:1701. [PMID: 36675218 PMCID: PMC9863728 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24021701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2022] [Revised: 01/12/2023] [Accepted: 01/12/2023] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Betacoronaviruses have already troubled humanity more than once. In 2002-2003 and 2012, the SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV, respectively, caused outbreaks of respiratory syndromes with a fatal outcome. The spread of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus has become a pandemic. These three coronaviruses belong to the genus Betacoronavirus and have a zoonotic origin. The emergence of new coronavirus infections in the future cannot be ruled out, and vaccination is the main way to prevent the spread of the infection. Previous experience in the development of vaccines against SARS and MERS has helped to develop a number of vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 in a fairly short time. Among them, there are quite a few recombinant protein vaccines, which seem to be very promising in terms of safety, minimization of side effects, storage and transportation conditions. The problem of developing a universal betacoronavirus vaccine is also still relevant. Here, we summarize the information on the designing of vaccines based on recombinant proteins against highly pathogenic human betacoronaviruses SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Nikolai Nikitin
- Department of Virology, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119234 Moscow, Russia
| | | |
Collapse
|
26
|
Bobdey S, Pushkar K, Kotoki R, Koundinya K, Michael P, Kaushik SK. Corbevax vaccine side effects in children of age group 12–14 years: A prospective observational study. JOURNAL OF MARINE MEDICAL SOCIETY 2023. [DOI: 10.4103/jmms.jmms_135_22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/19/2023] Open
|
27
|
Thermophilic Filamentous Fungus C1-Cell-Cloned SARS-CoV-2-Spike-RBD-Subunit-Vaccine Adjuvanted with Aldydrogel ®85 Protects K18-hACE2 Mice against Lethal Virus Challenge. Vaccines (Basel) 2022; 10:vaccines10122119. [PMID: 36560529 PMCID: PMC9783968 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines10122119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2022] [Revised: 11/30/2022] [Accepted: 11/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 is evolving with increased transmission, host range, pathogenicity, and virulence. The original and mutant viruses escape host innate (Interferon) immunity and adaptive (Antibody) immunity, emphasizing unmet needs for high-yield, commercial-scale manufacturing to produce inexpensive vaccines/boosters for global/equitable distribution. We developed DYAI-100A85, a SARS-CoV-2 spike receptor binding domain (RBD) subunit antigen vaccine expressed in genetically modified thermophilic filamentous fungus, Thermothelomyces heterothallica C1, and secreted at high levels into fermentation medium. The RBD-C-tag antigen strongly binds ACE2 receptors in vitro. Alhydrogel®'85'-adjuvanted RDB-C-tag-based vaccine candidate (DYAI-100A85) demonstrates strong immunogenicity, and antiviral efficacy, including in vivo protection against lethal intranasal SARS-CoV-2 (D614G) challenge in human ACE2-transgenic mice. No loss of body weight or adverse events occurred. DYAI-100A85 also demonstrates excellent safety profile in repeat-dose GLP toxicity study. In summary, subcutaneous prime/boost DYAI-100A85 inoculation induces high titers of RBD-specific neutralizing antibodies and protection of hACE2-transgenic mice against lethal challenge with SARS-CoV-2. Given its demonstrated safety, efficacy, and low production cost, vaccine candidate DYAI-100 received regulatory approval to initiate a Phase 1 clinical trial to demonstrate its safety and efficacy in humans.
Collapse
|
28
|
Bajoria S, Kaur K, Kumru OS, Van Slyke G, Doering J, Novak H, Rodriguez Aponte SA, Dalvie NC, Naranjo CA, Johnston RS, Silverman JM, Kleanthous H, Love JC, Mantis NJ, Joshi SB, Volkin DB. Antigen-adjuvant interactions, stability, and immunogenicity profiles of a SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain (RBD) antigen formulated with aluminum salt and CpG adjuvants. Hum Vaccin Immunother 2022; 18:2079346. [PMID: 35666264 PMCID: PMC9621007 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2022.2079346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2022] [Accepted: 05/16/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Low-cost, refrigerator-stable COVID-19 vaccines will facilitate global access and improve vaccine coverage in low- and middle-income countries. To this end, subunit-based approaches targeting the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein remain attractive. Antibodies against RBD neutralize SARS-CoV-2 by blocking viral attachment to the host cell receptor, ACE2. Here, a yeast-produced recombinant RBD antigen (RBD-L452K-F490W or RBD-J) was formulated with various combinations of aluminum-salt (Alhydrogel®, AH; AdjuPhos®, AP) and CpG 1018 adjuvants. We assessed the effect of antigen-adjuvant interactions on the stability and mouse immunogenicity of various RBD-J preparations. While RBD-J was 50% adsorbed to AH and <15% to AP, addition of CpG resulted in complete AH binding, yet no improvement in AP adsorption. ACE2 competition ELISA analyses of formulated RBD-J stored at varying temperatures (4, 25, 37°C) revealed that RBD-J was destabilized by AH, an effect exacerbated by CpG. DSC studies demonstrated that aluminum-salt and CpG adjuvants decrease the conformational stability of RBD-J and suggest a direct CpG-RBD-J interaction. Although AH+CpG-adjuvanted RBD-J was the least stable in vitro, the formulation was most potent at eliciting SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus neutralizing antibodies in mice. In contrast, RBD-J formulated with AP+CpG showed minimal antigen-adjuvant interactions, a better stability profile, but suboptimal immune responses. Interestingly, the loss of in vivo potency associated with heat-stressed RBD-J formulated with AH+CpG after one dose was abrogated by a booster. Our findings highlight the importance of elucidating the key interrelationships between antigen-adjuvant interactions, storage stability, and in vivo performance to enable successful formulation development of stable and efficacious subunit vaccines.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sakshi Bajoria
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Vaccine Analytics and Formulation Center, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA
| | - Kawaljit Kaur
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Vaccine Analytics and Formulation Center, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA
| | - Ozan S. Kumru
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Vaccine Analytics and Formulation Center, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA
| | - Greta Van Slyke
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Albany, NY, USA
| | - Jennifer Doering
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Albany, NY, USA
| | - Hayley Novak
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Albany, NY, USA
| | - Sergio A. Rodriguez Aponte
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA, USA
- The Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Neil C. Dalvie
- The Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Christopher A. Naranjo
- The Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Ryan S. Johnston
- The Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | | | - J. Christopher Love
- The Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Nicholas J. Mantis
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Albany, NY, USA
| | - Sangeeta B. Joshi
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Vaccine Analytics and Formulation Center, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA
| | - David B. Volkin
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Vaccine Analytics and Formulation Center, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Valenzuela-Fernández A, Cabrera-Rodriguez R, Ciuffreda L, Perez-Yanes S, Estevez-Herrera J, González-Montelongo R, Alcoba-Florez J, Trujillo-González R, García-Martínez de Artola D, Gil-Campesino H, Díez-Gil O, Lorenzo-Salazar JM, Flores C, Garcia-Luis J. Nanomaterials to combat SARS-CoV-2: Strategies to prevent, diagnose and treat COVID-19. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2022; 10:1052436. [PMID: 36507266 PMCID: PMC9732709 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2022.1052436] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2022] [Accepted: 11/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and the associated coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which severely affect the respiratory system and several organs and tissues, and may lead to death, have shown how science can respond when challenged by a global emergency, offering as a response a myriad of rapid technological developments. Development of vaccines at lightning speed is one of them. SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks have stressed healthcare systems, questioning patients care by using standard non-adapted therapies and diagnostic tools. In this scenario, nanotechnology has offered new tools, techniques and opportunities for prevention, for rapid, accurate and sensitive diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19. In this review, we focus on the nanotechnological applications and nano-based materials (i.e., personal protective equipment) to combat SARS-CoV-2 transmission, infection, organ damage and for the development of new tools for virosurveillance, diagnose and immune protection by mRNA and other nano-based vaccines. All the nano-based developed tools have allowed a historical, unprecedented, real time epidemiological surveillance and diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection, at community and international levels. The nano-based technology has help to predict and detect how this Sarbecovirus is mutating and the severity of the associated COVID-19 disease, thereby assisting the administration and public health services to make decisions and measures for preparedness against the emerging variants of SARS-CoV-2 and severe or lethal COVID-19.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Agustín Valenzuela-Fernández
- Laboratorio de Inmunología Celular y Viral, Unidad de Farmacología, Sección de Medicina, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de La Laguna, San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Spain
| | - Romina Cabrera-Rodriguez
- Laboratorio de Inmunología Celular y Viral, Unidad de Farmacología, Sección de Medicina, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de La Laguna, San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Spain
| | - Laura Ciuffreda
- Research Unit, Hospital Universitario N. S. de Candelaria, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain
| | - Silvia Perez-Yanes
- Laboratorio de Inmunología Celular y Viral, Unidad de Farmacología, Sección de Medicina, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de La Laguna, San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Spain
| | - Judith Estevez-Herrera
- Laboratorio de Inmunología Celular y Viral, Unidad de Farmacología, Sección de Medicina, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de La Laguna, San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Spain
| | | | - Julia Alcoba-Florez
- Servicio de Microbiología, Hospital Universitario N. S. de Candelaria, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain
| | - Rodrigo Trujillo-González
- Laboratorio de Inmunología Celular y Viral, Unidad de Farmacología, Sección de Medicina, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de La Laguna, San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Spain
- Departamento de Análisis Matemático, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de La Laguna, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain
| | | | - Helena Gil-Campesino
- Servicio de Microbiología, Hospital Universitario N. S. de Candelaria, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain
| | - Oscar Díez-Gil
- Servicio de Microbiología, Hospital Universitario N. S. de Candelaria, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain
| | - José M. Lorenzo-Salazar
- Genomics Division, Instituto Tecnológico y de Energías Renovables, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain
| | - Carlos Flores
- Research Unit, Hospital Universitario N. S. de Candelaria, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain
- Genomics Division, Instituto Tecnológico y de Energías Renovables, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain
- CIBER de Enfermedades Respiratorias, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Fernando Pessoa Canarias, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
| | - Jonay Garcia-Luis
- Laboratorio de Inmunología Celular y Viral, Unidad de Farmacología, Sección de Medicina, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de La Laguna, San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Euliano EM, Sklavounos AA, Wheeler AR, McHugh KJ. Translating diagnostics and drug delivery technologies to low-resource settings. Sci Transl Med 2022; 14:eabm1732. [PMID: 36223447 PMCID: PMC9716722 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.abm1732] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Diagnostics and drug delivery technologies engineered for low-resource settings aim to meet their technical design specifications using strategies that are compatible with limited equipment, infrastructure, and operator training. Despite many preclinical successes, very few of these devices have been translated to the clinic. Here, we identify factors that contribute to the clinical success of diagnostics and drug delivery systems for low-resource settings, including the need to engage key stakeholders at an early stage, and provide recommendations for the clinical translation of future medical technologies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Erin M. Euliano
- Department of Bioengineering, Rice University; Houston, Texas 77005, USA
| | - Alexandros A. Sklavounos
- Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto; Toronto, Ontario M5S 3H6, Canada
- Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research, University of Toronto; Toronto, Ontario M5S 3E1, Canada
| | - Aaron R. Wheeler
- Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto; Toronto, Ontario M5S 3H6, Canada
- Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research, University of Toronto; Toronto, Ontario M5S 3E1, Canada
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto; Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G9, Canada
| | - Kevin J. McHugh
- Department of Bioengineering, Rice University; Houston, Texas 77005, USA
| |
Collapse
|
31
|
de Pinho Favaro MT, Atienza-Garriga J, Martínez-Torró C, Parladé E, Vázquez E, Corchero JL, Ferrer-Miralles N, Villaverde A. Recombinant vaccines in 2022: a perspective from the cell factory. Microb Cell Fact 2022; 21:203. [PMID: 36199085 PMCID: PMC9532831 DOI: 10.1186/s12934-022-01929-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2022] [Accepted: 08/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
The last big outbreaks of Ebola fever in Africa, the thousands of avian influenza outbreaks across Europe, Asia, North America and Africa, the emergence of monkeypox virus in Europe and specially the COVID-19 pandemics have globally stressed the need for efficient, cost-effective vaccines against infectious diseases. Ideally, they should be based on transversal technologies of wide applicability. In this context, and pushed by the above-mentioned epidemiological needs, new and highly sophisticated DNA-or RNA-based vaccination strategies have been recently developed and applied at large-scale. Being very promising and effective, they still need to be assessed regarding the level of conferred long-term protection. Despite these fast-developing approaches, subunit vaccines, based on recombinant proteins obtained by conventional genetic engineering, still show a wide spectrum of interesting potentialities and an important margin for further development. In the 80’s, the first vaccination attempts with recombinant vaccines consisted in single structural proteins from viral pathogens, administered as soluble plain versions. In contrast, more complex formulations of recombinant antigens with particular geometries are progressively generated and explored in an attempt to mimic the multifaceted set of stimuli offered to the immune system by replicating pathogens. The diversity of recombinant antimicrobial vaccines and vaccine prototypes is revised here considering the cell factory types, through relevant examples of prototypes under development as well as already approved products.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marianna Teixeira de Pinho Favaro
- Institut de Biotecnologia i de Biomedicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallés, 08193, Barcelona, Spain.,Laboratory of Vaccine Development, Department of Microbiology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Jan Atienza-Garriga
- Institut de Biotecnologia i de Biomedicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallés, 08193, Barcelona, Spain.,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Bioingeniería, Biomateriales y Nanomedicina, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193, Barcelona, Spain.,Departament de Genètica i de Microbiologia, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallés, 08193, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Carlos Martínez-Torró
- Institut de Biotecnologia i de Biomedicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallés, 08193, Barcelona, Spain.,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Bioingeniería, Biomateriales y Nanomedicina, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193, Barcelona, Spain.,Departament de Genètica i de Microbiologia, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallés, 08193, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Eloi Parladé
- Institut de Biotecnologia i de Biomedicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallés, 08193, Barcelona, Spain.,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Bioingeniería, Biomateriales y Nanomedicina, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193, Barcelona, Spain.,Departament de Genètica i de Microbiologia, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallés, 08193, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Esther Vázquez
- Institut de Biotecnologia i de Biomedicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallés, 08193, Barcelona, Spain. .,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Bioingeniería, Biomateriales y Nanomedicina, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193, Barcelona, Spain. .,Departament de Genètica i de Microbiologia, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallés, 08193, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - José Luis Corchero
- Institut de Biotecnologia i de Biomedicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallés, 08193, Barcelona, Spain. .,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Bioingeniería, Biomateriales y Nanomedicina, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193, Barcelona, Spain. .,Departament de Genètica i de Microbiologia, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallés, 08193, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Neus Ferrer-Miralles
- Institut de Biotecnologia i de Biomedicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallés, 08193, Barcelona, Spain. .,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Bioingeniería, Biomateriales y Nanomedicina, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193, Barcelona, Spain. .,Departament de Genètica i de Microbiologia, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallés, 08193, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Antonio Villaverde
- Institut de Biotecnologia i de Biomedicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallés, 08193, Barcelona, Spain. .,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Bioingeniería, Biomateriales y Nanomedicina, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193, Barcelona, Spain. .,Departament de Genètica i de Microbiologia, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallés, 08193, Barcelona, Spain.
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
Thuluva S, Paradkar V, Gunneri SR, Yerroju V, Mogulla R, Turaga K, Kyasani M, Manoharan SK, Medigeshi G, Singh J, Shaman H, Singh C, Rao A V. Evaluation of safety and immunogenicity of receptor-binding domain-based COVID-19 vaccine (Corbevax) to select the optimum formulation in open-label, multicentre, and randomised phase-1/2 and phase-2 clinical trials. EBioMedicine 2022; 83:104217. [PMID: 35970020 PMCID: PMC9372721 DOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2022.104217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2022] [Revised: 06/29/2022] [Accepted: 07/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Background We assessed the efficacy of a receptor-binding domain (RBD)-based protein subunit COVID-19 vaccine. Methods A randomised Phase-1/2 trial followed by a Phase-2 trial were conducted to assess the safety and immunogenicity of the COVID-19 vaccine Corbevax and select to an optimum formulation. Healthy adults (n=460) without COVID-19 vaccination or SARS-CoV-2 infection in the Phase-1/2 study were randomly divided into four vaccine formulation groups. Findings A low incidence of adverse events was reported post-vaccination. All formulations showed similar profiles of humoral and cellular immune responses that were associated with the content of CpG1018 adjuvant in the vaccine. In the Phase-2 study, 750 µg of CpG1018 showed significant improvement (> 4-fold increase from baseline) in immune responses, including the titres of anti-RBD IgG and neutralising antibody (nAb), and cellular immune responses, while maintaining the safety profile. Antibodies persisted consistently for 12 months after the second dose of vaccine. Interpretations Corbevax (two-dose schedule with 28 days of interval between doses) was well tolerated with no observed safety concerns. Previous observations from efficacy studies by Moderna and AstraZeneca and the correlation between nAb titres post-vaccination and a human convalescent serum panel showed that Corbevax induced significantly high nAb titres. These studies were prospectively registered with the Clinical Trial Registry of India (CTRI/2021/06/034014 and CTRI/2020/11/029032). Funding Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, BIRAC-Division of Department of Biotechnology, Govt of India, and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations funded this study.
Collapse
|
33
|
Connelly GG, Kirkland OO, Bohannon S, Lim DC, Wilson RM, Richards EJ, Tay DM, Jee H, Hellinger RD, Hoang NK, Hao L, Chhabra A, Martin-Alonso C, Tan EK, Koehler AN, Yaffe MB, London WB, Lee PY, Krammer F, Bohannon RC, Bhatia SN, Sikes HD, Li H. Direct capture of neutralized RBD enables rapid point-of-care assessment of SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody titer. CELL REPORTS METHODS 2022; 2:100273. [PMID: 35942328 PMCID: PMC9350670 DOI: 10.1016/j.crmeth.2022.100273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2022] [Revised: 06/13/2022] [Accepted: 07/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Neutralizing antibody (NAb) titer is a key biomarker of protection against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, but point-of-care methods for assessing NAb titer are not widely available. Here, we present a lateral flow assay that captures SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain (RBD) that has been neutralized from binding angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). Quantification of neutralized RBD in this assay correlates with NAb titer from vaccinated and convalescent patients. This methodology demonstrated superior performance in assessing NAb titer compared with either measurement of total anti-spike immunoglobulin G titer or quantification of the absolute reduction in binding between ACE2 and RBD. Our testing platform has the potential for mass deployment to aid in determining at population scale the degree of protective immunity individuals may have following SARS-CoV-2 vaccination or infection and can enable simple at-home assessment of NAb titer.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Guinevere G. Connelly
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Orville O. Kirkland
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | | | - Daniel C. Lim
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Robert M. Wilson
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Edward J. Richards
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Dragonfly Therapeutics, Waltham, MA 02451, USA
| | - Dousabel M. Tay
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Hyuk Jee
- Division of Rheumatology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Riley D. Hellinger
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Ngoc K. Hoang
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Liang Hao
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Arnav Chhabra
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Satellite Bio, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Carmen Martin-Alonso
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Edward K.W. Tan
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Angela N. Koehler
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Michael B. Yaffe
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Wendy B. London
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Pui Y. Lee
- Division of Rheumatology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Florian Krammer
- Department of Microbiology, and Department of Pathology, Molecular and Cell Based Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | | | - Sangeeta N. Bhatia
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Institute for Medical Engineering and Science, and Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Wyss Institute at Harvard, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Hadley D. Sikes
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Hojun Li
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| |
Collapse
|
34
|
Xing H, Zhu L, Wang P, Zhao G, Zhou Z, Yang Y, Zou H, Yan X. Display of receptor-binding domain of SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein variants on the Saccharomyces cerevisiae cell surface. Front Immunol 2022; 13:935573. [PMID: 36032096 PMCID: PMC9412237 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.935573] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2022] [Accepted: 07/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), represents a significant global human health threat. The most effective way to end the pandemic is through timely vaccination. In this study, the receptor-binding domains (RBDs) of Spike protein of the initial strain of SARS-CoV-2 and its variants, B.1.1.7 (Alpha), B.1.351 (Beta), and B.1.617.1 (Kappa), were successfully displayed on the surface of a Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain for development as a vaccine candidate. To rapidly express the recombinant protein and avoid the need for expensive galactose as an inducer, the gal80 gene of S. cerevisiae was knocked out, and the conventional 72-h culture period was thus successfully shortened to 24 h. Mice vaccinated against variant B.1.617.1 showed robust humoral and cellular immune responses. Moreover, the antiserum in the B.1.671.1 group had neutralizing activity against wild-type RBD and high binding titers against RBD mutants of variants B.1.351 and B.1.1.7. Double deglycosylation at N331Q and N343Q resulted in marked reduction of the affinity of RBD binding to angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and escaped antibody neutralization. This study demonstrates that yeast surface display technology can provide an alternative approach to rapid large-scale preparation of promising SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidates at low cost.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hongguan Xing
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
- Chinese Academy of Science-Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, Chinese Academy of Science Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Liyan Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology of Ministry of Education/National Health Commission, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Department of Process Technology, Zhejiang Hongguan Bio-pharma Co., Ltd., Jiaxing, China
| | - Pingping Wang
- Chinese Academy of Science-Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, Chinese Academy of Science Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Guoping Zhao
- Chinese Academy of Science-Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, Chinese Academy of Science Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology of Ministry of Education/National Health Commission, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhihua Zhou
- Chinese Academy of Science-Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, Chinese Academy of Science Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Yi Yang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
| | - Hong Zou
- Chinese Academy of Sciences Engineering Laboratory for Nutrition, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
- *Correspondence: Hong Zou, ; Xing Yan,
| | - Xing Yan
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
- Chinese Academy of Science-Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, Chinese Academy of Science Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
- *Correspondence: Hong Zou, ; Xing Yan,
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Coria LM, Saposnik LM, Pueblas Castro C, Castro EF, Bruno LA, Stone WB, Pérez PS, Darriba ML, Chemes LB, Alcain J, Mazzitelli I, Varese A, Salvatori M, Auguste AJ, Álvarez DE, Pasquevich KA, Cassataro J. A Novel Bacterial Protease Inhibitor Adjuvant in RBD-Based COVID-19 Vaccine Formulations Containing Alum Increases Neutralizing Antibodies, Specific Germinal Center B Cells and Confers Protection Against SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Mice. Front Immunol 2022; 13:844837. [PMID: 35296091 PMCID: PMC8919065 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.844837] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2021] [Accepted: 02/01/2022] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
In this work, we evaluated recombinant receptor binding domain (RBD)-based vaccine formulation prototypes with potential for further clinical development. We assessed different formulations containing RBD plus alum, AddaS03, AddaVax, or the combination of alum and U-Omp19: a novel Brucella spp. protease inhibitor vaccine adjuvant. Results show that the vaccine formulation composed of U-Omp19 and alum as adjuvants has a better performance: it significantly increased mucosal and systemic neutralizing antibodies in comparison to antigen plus alum, AddaVax, or AddaS03. Antibodies induced with the formulation containing U-Omp19 and alum not only increased their neutralization capacity against the ancestral virus but also cross-neutralized alpha, lambda, and gamma variants with similar potency. Furthermore, the addition of U-Omp19 to alum vaccine formulation increased the frequency of RBD-specific geminal center B cells and plasmablasts. Additionally, U-Omp19+alum formulation induced RBD-specific Th1 and CD8+ T-cell responses in spleens and lungs. Finally, this vaccine formulation conferred protection against an intranasal severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) challenge of K18-hACE2 mice.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lorena M. Coria
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas Dr. Rodolfo A. Ugalde, Universidad Nacional de San Martín, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (UNSAM-CONICET), San Martín, Argentina
| | - Lucas M. Saposnik
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas Dr. Rodolfo A. Ugalde, Universidad Nacional de San Martín, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (UNSAM-CONICET), San Martín, Argentina
| | - Celeste Pueblas Castro
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas Dr. Rodolfo A. Ugalde, Universidad Nacional de San Martín, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (UNSAM-CONICET), San Martín, Argentina
| | - Eliana F. Castro
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas Dr. Rodolfo A. Ugalde, Universidad Nacional de San Martín, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (UNSAM-CONICET), San Martín, Argentina
- Instituto de Virología e Innovaciones Tecnológicas (IVIT), Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronómicas (CICVyA), Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA)-Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Laura A. Bruno
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas Dr. Rodolfo A. Ugalde, Universidad Nacional de San Martín, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (UNSAM-CONICET), San Martín, Argentina
| | - William B. Stone
- Department of Entomology, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Fralin Life Science Institute, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, United States
| | - Paula S. Pérez
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y SIDA (INBIRS, Universidad de Buenos Aires-CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Maria Laura Darriba
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas Dr. Rodolfo A. Ugalde, Universidad Nacional de San Martín, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (UNSAM-CONICET), San Martín, Argentina
| | - Lucia B. Chemes
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas Dr. Rodolfo A. Ugalde, Universidad Nacional de San Martín, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (UNSAM-CONICET), San Martín, Argentina
| | - Julieta Alcain
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas Dr. Rodolfo A. Ugalde, Universidad Nacional de San Martín, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (UNSAM-CONICET), San Martín, Argentina
| | - Ignacio Mazzitelli
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y SIDA (INBIRS, Universidad de Buenos Aires-CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Augusto Varese
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y SIDA (INBIRS, Universidad de Buenos Aires-CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Melina Salvatori
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y SIDA (INBIRS, Universidad de Buenos Aires-CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Albert J. Auguste
- Department of Entomology, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Fralin Life Science Institute, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, United States
- Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-borne Pathogens, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, United States
| | - Diego E. Álvarez
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas Dr. Rodolfo A. Ugalde, Universidad Nacional de San Martín, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (UNSAM-CONICET), San Martín, Argentina
| | - Karina A. Pasquevich
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas Dr. Rodolfo A. Ugalde, Universidad Nacional de San Martín, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (UNSAM-CONICET), San Martín, Argentina
- *Correspondence: Karina A. Pasquevich, ; Juliana Cassataro,
| | - Juliana Cassataro
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas Dr. Rodolfo A. Ugalde, Universidad Nacional de San Martín, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (UNSAM-CONICET), San Martín, Argentina
- *Correspondence: Karina A. Pasquevich, ; Juliana Cassataro,
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
Chang KP, Reynolds JM, Liu Y, He JJ. Leishmaniac Quest for Developing a Novel Vaccine Platform. Is a Roadmap for Its Advances Provided by the Mad Dash to Produce Vaccines for COVID-19? Vaccines (Basel) 2022; 10:vaccines10020248. [PMID: 35214706 PMCID: PMC8874365 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines10020248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2021] [Revised: 01/27/2022] [Accepted: 01/31/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
“Bugs as drugs” in medicine encompasses the use of microbes to enhance the efficacy of vaccination, such as the delivery of vaccines by Leishmania—the protozoan etiological agent of leishmaniasis. This novel approach is appraised in light of the successful development of vaccines for Covid-19. All relevant aspects of this pandemic are summarized to provide the necessary framework in contrast to leishmaniasis. The presentation is in a side-by-side matching format with particular emphasis on vaccines. The comparative approach makes it possible to highlight the timeframe of the vaccine workflows condensed by the caveats of pandemic urgency and, at the same time, provides the background of Leishmania behind its use as a vaccine carrier. Previous studies in support of the latter are summarized as follows. Leishmaniasis confers life-long immunity on patients after cure, suggesting the effective vaccination is achievable with whole-cell Leishmania. A new strategy was developed to inactivate these cells in vitro, rendering them non-viable, hence non-disease causing, albeit retaining their immunogenicity and adjuvanticity. This was achieved by installing a dual suicidal mechanism in Leishmania for singlet oxygen (1O2)-initiated inactivation. In vitro cultured Leishmania were genetically engineered for cytosolic accumulation of UV-sensitive uroporphyrin I and further loaded endosomally with a red light-sensitive cationic phthalocyanine. Exposing these doubly dye-loaded Leishmania to light triggers intracellular production of highly reactive but extremely short-lived 1O2, resulting in their rapid and complete inactivation. Immunization of susceptible animals with such inactivated Leishmania elicited immunity to protect them against experimental leishmaniasis. Significantly, the inactivated Leishmania was shown to effectively deliver transgenically add-on ovalbumin (OVA) to antigen-presenting cells (APC), wherein OVA epitopes were processed appropriately for presentation with MHC molecules to activate epitope-specific CD8+ T cells. Application of this approach to deliver cancer vaccine candidates, e.g., enolase-1, was shown to suppress tumor development in mouse models. A similar approach is predicted to elicit lasting immunity against infectious diseases, including complementation of the spike protein-based vaccines in use for COVID-19. This pandemic is devastating, but brings to light the necessity of considering many facets of the disease in developing vaccination programs. Closer collaboration is essential among those in diverse disciplinary areas to provide the roadmap toward greater success in the future. Highlighted herein are several specific issues of vaccinology and new approaches worthy of consideration due to the pandemic.
Collapse
|
37
|
Dalvie NC, Biedermann AM, Rodriguez‐Aponte SA, Naranjo CA, Rao HD, Rajurkar MP, Lothe RR, Shaligram US, Johnston RS, Crowell LE, Castelino S, Tracey MK, Whittaker CA, Love JC. Scalable, methanol-free manufacturing of the SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain in engineered Komagataella phaffii. Biotechnol Bioeng 2022; 119:657-662. [PMID: 34780057 PMCID: PMC8653030 DOI: 10.1002/bit.27979] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2021] [Revised: 09/10/2021] [Accepted: 10/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Prevention of COVID-19 on a global scale will require the continued development of high-volume, low-cost platforms for the manufacturing of vaccines to supply ongoing demand. Vaccine candidates based on recombinant protein subunits remain important because they can be manufactured at low costs in existing large-scale production facilities that use microbial hosts like Komagataella phaffii (Pichia pastoris). Here, we report an improved and scalable manufacturing approach for the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein receptor-binding domain (RBD); this protein is a key antigen for several reported vaccine candidates. We genetically engineered a manufacturing strain of K. phaffii to obviate the requirement for methanol induction of the recombinant gene. Methanol-free production improved the secreted titer of the RBD protein by >5X by alleviating protein folding stress. Removal of methanol from the production process enabled to scale up to a 1200 L pre-existing production facility. This engineered strain is now used to produce an RBD-based vaccine antigen that is currently in clinical trials and could be used to produce other variants of RBD as needed for future vaccines.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Neil C. Dalvie
- Department of Chemical EngineeringMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeMassachusettsUSA
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer ResearchMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeMassachusettsUSA
| | - Andrew M. Biedermann
- Department of Chemical EngineeringMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeMassachusettsUSA
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer ResearchMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeMassachusettsUSA
| | - Sergio A. Rodriguez‐Aponte
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer ResearchMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeMassachusettsUSA
- Department of Biological EngineeringMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeMassachusettsUSA
| | - Christopher A. Naranjo
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer ResearchMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeMassachusettsUSA
| | | | | | | | | | - Ryan S. Johnston
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer ResearchMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeMassachusettsUSA
| | - Laura E. Crowell
- Department of Chemical EngineeringMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeMassachusettsUSA
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer ResearchMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeMassachusettsUSA
| | - Seraphin Castelino
- Department of Chemical EngineeringMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeMassachusettsUSA
| | - Mary K. Tracey
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer ResearchMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeMassachusettsUSA
| | - Charles A. Whittaker
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer ResearchMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeMassachusettsUSA
| | - J. Christopher Love
- Department of Chemical EngineeringMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeMassachusettsUSA
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer ResearchMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeMassachusettsUSA
| |
Collapse
|
38
|
Nanishi E, Borriello F, O’Meara TR, McGrath ME, Saito Y, Haupt RE, Seo HS, van Haren SD, Cavazzoni CB, Brook B, Barman S, Chen J, Diray-Arce J, Doss-Gollin S, De Leon M, Prevost-Reilly A, Chew K, Menon M, Song K, Xu AZ, Caradonna TM, Feldman J, Hauser BM, Schmidt AG, Sherman AC, Baden LR, Ernst RK, Dillen C, Weston SM, Johnson RM, Hammond HL, Mayer R, Burke A, Bottazzi ME, Hotez PJ, Strych U, Chang A, Yu J, Sage PT, Barouch DH, Dhe-Paganon S, Zanoni I, Ozonoff A, Frieman MB, Levy O, Dowling DJ. An aluminum hydroxide:CpG adjuvant enhances protection elicited by a SARS-CoV-2 receptor binding domain vaccine in aged mice. Sci Transl Med 2022; 14:eabj5305. [PMID: 34783582 PMCID: PMC10176044 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.abj5305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Global deployment of vaccines that can provide protection across several age groups is still urgently needed to end the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in low- and middle-income countries. Although vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 based on mRNA and adenoviral vector technologies have been rapidly developed, additional practical and scalable SARS-CoV-2 vaccines are required to meet global demand. Protein subunit vaccines formulated with appropriate adjuvants represent an approach to address this urgent need. The receptor binding domain (RBD) is a key target of SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies but is poorly immunogenic. We therefore compared pattern recognition receptor (PRR) agonists alone or formulated with aluminum hydroxide (AH) and benchmarked them against AS01B and AS03-like emulsion-based adjuvants for their potential to enhance RBD immunogenicity in young and aged mice. We found that an AH and CpG adjuvant formulation (AH:CpG) produced an 80-fold increase in anti-RBD neutralizing antibody titers in both age groups relative to AH alone and protected aged mice from the SARS-CoV-2 challenge. The AH:CpG-adjuvanted RBD vaccine elicited neutralizing antibodies against both wild-type SARS-CoV-2 and the B.1.351 (beta) variant at serum concentrations comparable to those induced by the licensed Pfizer-BioNTech BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine. AH:CpG induced similar cytokine and chemokine gene enrichment patterns in the draining lymph nodes of both young adult and aged mice and enhanced cytokine and chemokine production in human mononuclear cells of younger and older adults. These data support further development of AH:CpG-adjuvanted RBD as an affordable vaccine that may be effective across multiple age groups.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Etsuro Nanishi
- Precision Vaccines Program, Division of Infectious Diseases, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA 02115
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA 02115
| | - Francesco Borriello
- Precision Vaccines Program, Division of Infectious Diseases, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA 02115
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA 02115
- Division of Immunology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA 02115
- Present address: Generate Biomedicines, Cambridge, MA, USA 02139
| | - Timothy R. O’Meara
- Precision Vaccines Program, Division of Infectious Diseases, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA 02115
| | - Marisa E. McGrath
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA 21201
| | - Yoshine Saito
- Precision Vaccines Program, Division of Infectious Diseases, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA 02115
| | - Robert E. Haupt
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA 21201
| | - Hyuk-Soo Seo
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA 02115
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA 02115
| | - Simon D. van Haren
- Precision Vaccines Program, Division of Infectious Diseases, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA 02115
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA 02115
| | - Cecilia B. Cavazzoni
- Transplantation Research Center, Renal Division, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA 02115
| | - Byron Brook
- Precision Vaccines Program, Division of Infectious Diseases, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA 02115
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA 02115
| | - Soumik Barman
- Precision Vaccines Program, Division of Infectious Diseases, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA 02115
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA 02115
| | - Jing Chen
- Research Computing Group, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA 02115
| | - Joann Diray-Arce
- Precision Vaccines Program, Division of Infectious Diseases, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA 02115
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA 02115
| | - Simon Doss-Gollin
- Precision Vaccines Program, Division of Infectious Diseases, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA 02115
| | - Maria De Leon
- Precision Vaccines Program, Division of Infectious Diseases, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA 02115
| | - Alejandra Prevost-Reilly
- Precision Vaccines Program, Division of Infectious Diseases, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA 02115
| | - Katherine Chew
- Precision Vaccines Program, Division of Infectious Diseases, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA 02115
| | - Manisha Menon
- Precision Vaccines Program, Division of Infectious Diseases, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA 02115
| | - Kijun Song
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA 02115
| | - Andrew Z. Xu
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA 02115
| | | | - Jared Feldman
- Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT, and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA 02139
| | - Blake M. Hauser
- Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT, and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA 02139
| | - Aaron G. Schmidt
- Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT, and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA 02139
- Department of Microbiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA 02115
| | - Amy C. Sherman
- Precision Vaccines Program, Division of Infectious Diseases, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA 02115
- Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA 02115
| | - Lindsey R. Baden
- Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA 02115
| | - Robert K. Ernst
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis, University of Maryland School of Dentistry, Baltimore, MD, USA 21201
| | - Carly Dillen
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA 21201
| | - Stuart M. Weston
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA 21201
| | - Robert M. Johnson
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA 21201
| | - Holly L. Hammond
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA 21201
| | - Romana Mayer
- Department of Pathology, University of Maryland Medical Center, Baltimore, MD, USA 21201
| | - Allen Burke
- Department of Pathology, University of Maryland Medical Center, Baltimore, MD, USA 21201
| | - Maria E. Bottazzi
- Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA 77030
- National School of Tropical Medicine and Departments of Pediatrics and Molecular Virology & Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA 77030
| | - Peter J. Hotez
- Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA 77030
- National School of Tropical Medicine and Departments of Pediatrics and Molecular Virology & Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA 77030
| | - Ulrich Strych
- Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA 77030
- National School of Tropical Medicine and Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA 77030
| | - Aiquan Chang
- Center for Virology and Vaccine Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA 02115
| | - Jingyou Yu
- Center for Virology and Vaccine Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA 02115
| | - Peter T. Sage
- Transplantation Research Center, Renal Division, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA 02115
| | - Dan H. Barouch
- Center for Virology and Vaccine Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA 02115
| | - Sirano Dhe-Paganon
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA 02115
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA 02115
| | - Ivan Zanoni
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA 02115
- Division of Immunology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA 02115
| | - Al Ozonoff
- Precision Vaccines Program, Division of Infectious Diseases, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA 02115
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA 02115
| | - Matthew B. Frieman
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA 21201
| | - Ofer Levy
- Precision Vaccines Program, Division of Infectious Diseases, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA 02115
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA 02115
- Broad Institute of MIT & Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA 02142
| | - David J. Dowling
- Precision Vaccines Program, Division of Infectious Diseases, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA 02115
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA 02115
| |
Collapse
|
39
|
Santana-Mederos D, Perez-Nicado R, Climent Y, Rodriguez L, Ramirez BS, Perez-Rodriguez S, Rodriguez M, Labrada C, Hernandez T, Diaz M, Orosa I, Ramirez U, Oliva R, Garrido R, Cardoso F, Landys M, Martinez R, Gonzalez H, Hernandez T, Ochoa-Azze R, Perez JL, Enriquez J, Gonzalez N, Infante Y, Espinosa LA, Ramos Y, González LJ, Valenzuela C, Casadesus AV, Fernandez B, Rojas G, Pérez-Massón B, Tundidor Y, Bermudez E, Plasencia CA, Boggiano T, Ojito E, Chiodo F, Fernandez S, Paquet F, Fang C, Chen GW, Rivera DG, Valdes-Balbin Y, Garcia-Rivera D, Verez Bencomo V. A COVID-19 vaccine candidate composed of the SARS-CoV-2 RBD dimer and Neisseria meningitidis outer membrane vesicles. RSC Chem Biol 2022; 3:242-249. [PMID: 35360883 PMCID: PMC8826971 DOI: 10.1039/d1cb00200g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2021] [Accepted: 12/01/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Soberana01 is composed of the SARS-CoV-2 dimeric RBD and Neisseria meningitidis outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) adsorbed on alum. This vaccine induces a potent neutralizing immune response and shows potential against SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Yanet Climent
- Finlay Vaccine Institute, 200 and 21 Street, Havana 11600, Cuba
| | - Laura Rodriguez
- Finlay Vaccine Institute, 200 and 21 Street, Havana 11600, Cuba
| | | | | | - Meybi Rodriguez
- Finlay Vaccine Institute, 200 and 21 Street, Havana 11600, Cuba
| | - Claudia Labrada
- Finlay Vaccine Institute, 200 and 21 Street, Havana 11600, Cuba
| | - Tays Hernandez
- Center of Molecular Immunology, P.O. Box 16040, 216 St., Havana, Cuba
| | - Marianniz Diaz
- Center of Molecular Immunology, P.O. Box 16040, 216 St., Havana, Cuba
| | - Ivette Orosa
- Center of Molecular Immunology, P.O. Box 16040, 216 St., Havana, Cuba
| | - Ubel Ramirez
- Finlay Vaccine Institute, 200 and 21 Street, Havana 11600, Cuba
| | - Reynaldo Oliva
- Finlay Vaccine Institute, 200 and 21 Street, Havana 11600, Cuba
| | - Raine Garrido
- Finlay Vaccine Institute, 200 and 21 Street, Havana 11600, Cuba
| | - Felix Cardoso
- Finlay Vaccine Institute, 200 and 21 Street, Havana 11600, Cuba
| | - Mario Landys
- Finlay Vaccine Institute, 200 and 21 Street, Havana 11600, Cuba
| | | | | | | | | | - Jose L. Perez
- Finlay Vaccine Institute, 200 and 21 Street, Havana 11600, Cuba
| | - Juliet Enriquez
- National Civil Defense Research Laboratory, Mayabeque 32700, Cuba
| | - Nibaldo Gonzalez
- National Civil Defense Research Laboratory, Mayabeque 32700, Cuba
| | - Yenicet Infante
- National Civil Defense Research Laboratory, Mayabeque 32700, Cuba
| | - Luis A. Espinosa
- Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Ave 31 e/158 y 190, Havana 10600, Cuba
| | - Yassel Ramos
- Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Ave 31 e/158 y 190, Havana 10600, Cuba
| | - Luis Javier González
- Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Ave 31 e/158 y 190, Havana 10600, Cuba
| | - Carmen Valenzuela
- Institute of Cybernetics, Mathematics and Physics, Havana 10400, Cuba
| | | | - Briandy Fernandez
- Center of Molecular Immunology, P.O. Box 16040, 216 St., Havana, Cuba
| | - Gertrudis Rojas
- Center of Molecular Immunology, P.O. Box 16040, 216 St., Havana, Cuba
| | | | - Yaima Tundidor
- Center of Molecular Immunology, P.O. Box 16040, 216 St., Havana, Cuba
| | - Ernesto Bermudez
- Center of Molecular Immunology, P.O. Box 16040, 216 St., Havana, Cuba
| | | | - Tammy Boggiano
- Center of Molecular Immunology, P.O. Box 16040, 216 St., Havana, Cuba
| | - Eduardo Ojito
- Center of Molecular Immunology, P.O. Box 16040, 216 St., Havana, Cuba
| | - Fabrizio Chiodo
- Finlay Vaccine Institute, 200 and 21 Street, Havana 11600, Cuba
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology and Immunology, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands and Institute of Biomolecular Chemistry, National Research Council (CNR), Pozzuoli, Napoli, Italy
| | | | - Françoise Paquet
- Centre de Biophysique Moléculaire, CNRS UPR 4301, rue Charles Sadron, F-45071, Orléans Cedex 2, France
| | - Cheng Fang
- Shanghai Fenglin Glycodrug Promotion Center, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Guang-Wu Chen
- Chengdu Olisynn Biotech. Co. Ltd., and State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, People's Republic of China
| | - Daniel G. Rivera
- Laboratory of Synthetic and Biomolecular Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Havana, Zapata y G, Havana 10400, Cuba
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
40
|
Ahmed S, Khan MS, Gayathri S, Singh R, Kumar S, Patel UR, Malladi SK, Rajmani RS, van Vuren PJ, Riddell S, Goldie S, Girish N, Reddy P, Upadhyaya A, Pandey S, Siddiqui S, Tyagi A, Jha S, Pandey R, Khatun O, Narayan R, Tripathi S, McAuley AJ, Singanallur NB, Vasan SS, Ringe RP, Varadarajan R. A Stabilized, Monomeric, Receptor Binding Domain Elicits High-Titer Neutralizing Antibodies Against All SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern. Front Immunol 2021; 12:765211. [PMID: 34956193 PMCID: PMC8695907 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.765211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2021] [Accepted: 11/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Saturation suppressor mutagenesis was used to generate thermostable mutants of the SARS-CoV-2 spike receptor-binding domain (RBD). A triple mutant with an increase in thermal melting temperature of ~7°C with respect to the wild-type B.1 RBD and was expressed in high yield in both mammalian cells and the microbial host, Pichia pastoris, was downselected for immunogenicity studies. An additional derivative with three additional mutations from the B.1.351 (beta) isolate was also introduced into this background. Lyophilized proteins were resistant to high-temperature exposure and could be stored for over a month at 37°C. In mice and hamsters, squalene-in-water emulsion (SWE) adjuvanted formulations of the B.1-stabilized RBD were considerably more immunogenic than RBD lacking the stabilizing mutations and elicited antibodies that neutralized all four current variants of concern with similar neutralization titers. However, sera from mice immunized with the stabilized B.1.351 derivative showed significantly decreased neutralization titers exclusively against the B.1.617.2 (delta) VOC. A cocktail comprising stabilized B.1 and B.1.351 RBDs elicited antibodies with qualitatively improved neutralization titers and breadth relative to those immunized solely with either immunogen. Immunized hamsters were protected from high-dose viral challenge. Such vaccine formulations can be rapidly and cheaply produced, lack extraneous tags or additional components, and can be stored at room temperature. They are a useful modality to combat COVID-19, especially in remote and low-resource settings.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shahbaz Ahmed
- Molecular Biophysics Unit (MBU), Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India
| | | | - Savitha Gayathri
- Molecular Biophysics Unit (MBU), Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India
| | - Randhir Singh
- Mynvax Private Limited, ES12, Entrepreneurship Centre, Society for Innovation and Development (SID), Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India
| | - Sahil Kumar
- Virology Unit, Institute of Microbial Technology, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Chandigarh, India
| | - Unnatiben Rajeshbhai Patel
- Mynvax Private Limited, ES12, Entrepreneurship Centre, Society for Innovation and Development (SID), Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India
| | | | - Raju S. Rajmani
- Molecular Biophysics Unit (MBU), Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India
| | - Petrus Jansen van Vuren
- Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness (ACDP), Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Geelong, VIC, Australia
| | - Shane Riddell
- Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness (ACDP), Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Geelong, VIC, Australia
| | - Sarah Goldie
- Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness (ACDP), Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Geelong, VIC, Australia
| | - Nidhi Girish
- Mynvax Private Limited, ES12, Entrepreneurship Centre, Society for Innovation and Development (SID), Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India
| | - Poorvi Reddy
- Mynvax Private Limited, ES12, Entrepreneurship Centre, Society for Innovation and Development (SID), Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India
| | - Aditya Upadhyaya
- Mynvax Private Limited, ES12, Entrepreneurship Centre, Society for Innovation and Development (SID), Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India
| | - Suman Pandey
- Mynvax Private Limited, ES12, Entrepreneurship Centre, Society for Innovation and Development (SID), Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India
| | - Samreen Siddiqui
- Max Super Speciality Hospital (A Unit of Devki Devi Foundation), Max Healthcare, Delhi, India
| | - Akansha Tyagi
- Max Super Speciality Hospital (A Unit of Devki Devi Foundation), Max Healthcare, Delhi, India
| | - Sujeet Jha
- Max Super Speciality Hospital (A Unit of Devki Devi Foundation), Max Healthcare, Delhi, India
| | - Rajesh Pandey
- INtegrative GENomics of HOst-PathogEn (INGEN-HOPE) Laboratory, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (CSIR-IGIB), Delhi, India
| | - Oyahida Khatun
- Department of Microbiology & Cell Biology, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India
- Centre for Infectious Disease Research, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India
| | - Rohan Narayan
- Department of Microbiology & Cell Biology, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India
- Centre for Infectious Disease Research, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India
| | - Shashank Tripathi
- Department of Microbiology & Cell Biology, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India
- Centre for Infectious Disease Research, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India
| | - Alexander J. McAuley
- Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness (ACDP), Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Geelong, VIC, Australia
| | | | - Seshadri S. Vasan
- Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness (ACDP), Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Geelong, VIC, Australia
- Department of Health Sciences, University of York, York, United Kingdom
| | - Rajesh P. Ringe
- Virology Unit, Institute of Microbial Technology, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Chandigarh, India
| | | |
Collapse
|
41
|
Espinosa LA, Ramos Y, Andújar I, Torres EO, Cabrera G, Martín A, Roche D, Chinea G, Becquet M, González I, Canaán-Haden C, Nelson E, Rojas G, Pérez-Massón B, Pérez-Martínez D, Boggiano T, Palacio J, Lozada Chang SL, Hernández L, de la Luz Hernández KR, Markku S, Vitikainen M, Valdés-Balbín Y, Santana-Medero D, Rivera DG, Vérez-Bencomo V, Emalfarb M, Tchelet R, Guillén G, Limonta M, Pimentel E, Ayala M, Besada V, González LJ. In-solution buffer-free digestion allows full-sequence coverage and complete characterization of post-translational modifications of the receptor-binding domain of SARS-CoV-2 in a single ESI-MS spectrum. Anal Bioanal Chem 2021; 413:7559-7585. [PMID: 34739558 PMCID: PMC8569510 DOI: 10.1007/s00216-021-03721-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2021] [Revised: 09/16/2021] [Accepted: 10/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Subunit vaccines based on the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 provide one of the most promising strategies to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. The detailed characterization of the protein primary structure by mass spectrometry (MS) is mandatory, as described in ICHQ6B guidelines. In this work, several recombinant RBD proteins produced in five expression systems were characterized using a non-conventional protocol known as in-solution buffer-free digestion (BFD). In a single ESI-MS spectrum, BFD allowed very high sequence coverage (≥ 99%) and the detection of highly hydrophilic regions, including very short and hydrophilic peptides (2-8 amino acids), and the His6-tagged C-terminal peptide carrying several post-translational modifications at Cys538 such as cysteinylation, homocysteinylation, glutathionylation, truncated glutathionylation, and cyanylation, among others. The analysis using the conventional digestion protocol allowed lower sequence coverage (80-90%) and did not detect peptides carrying most of the above-mentioned PTMs. The two C-terminal peptides of a dimer [RBD(319-541)-(His)6]2 linked by an intermolecular disulfide bond (Cys538-Cys538) with twelve histidine residues were only detected by BFD. This protocol allows the detection of the four disulfide bonds present in the native RBD, low-abundance scrambling variants, free cysteine residues, O-glycoforms, and incomplete processing of the N-terminal end, if present. Artifacts generated by the in-solution BFD protocol were also characterized. BFD can be easily implemented; it has been applied to the characterization of the active pharmaceutical ingredient of two RBD-based vaccines, and we foresee that it can be also helpful to the characterization of mutated RBDs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Luis Ariel Espinosa
- Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Ave 31, e/ 158 y 190, Cubanacán, Playa, Havana, Cuba
| | - Yassel Ramos
- Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Ave 31, e/ 158 y 190, Cubanacán, Playa, Havana, Cuba
| | - Ivan Andújar
- Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Ave 31, e/ 158 y 190, Cubanacán, Playa, Havana, Cuba
| | - Enso Onill Torres
- Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Ave 31, e/ 158 y 190, Cubanacán, Playa, Havana, Cuba
| | - Gleysin Cabrera
- Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Ave 31, e/ 158 y 190, Cubanacán, Playa, Havana, Cuba
| | - Alejandro Martín
- Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Ave 31, e/ 158 y 190, Cubanacán, Playa, Havana, Cuba
| | - Diamilé Roche
- Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Ave 31, e/ 158 y 190, Cubanacán, Playa, Havana, Cuba
| | - Glay Chinea
- Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Ave 31, e/ 158 y 190, Cubanacán, Playa, Havana, Cuba
| | - Mónica Becquet
- Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Ave 31, e/ 158 y 190, Cubanacán, Playa, Havana, Cuba
| | - Isabel González
- Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Ave 31, e/ 158 y 190, Cubanacán, Playa, Havana, Cuba
| | - Camila Canaán-Haden
- Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Ave 31, e/ 158 y 190, Cubanacán, Playa, Havana, Cuba
| | - Elías Nelson
- Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Ave 31, e/ 158 y 190, Cubanacán, Playa, Havana, Cuba
| | - Gertrudis Rojas
- Center of Molecular Immunology, 216 St., P.O. Box 16040, Havana, Cuba
| | | | | | - Tamy Boggiano
- Center of Molecular Immunology, 216 St., P.O. Box 16040, Havana, Cuba
| | - Julio Palacio
- Center of Molecular Immunology, 216 St., P.O. Box 16040, Havana, Cuba
| | | | - Lourdes Hernández
- Center of Molecular Immunology, 216 St., P.O. Box 16040, Havana, Cuba
| | | | - Saloheimo Markku
- VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd, P.O. Box 1000, 02044 VTT, Espoo, Finland
| | - Marika Vitikainen
- VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd, P.O. Box 1000, 02044 VTT, Espoo, Finland
| | | | | | - Daniel G Rivera
- Laboratory of Synthetic and Biomolecular Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Havana, Zapata & G, 10400, Havana, Cuba
| | | | - Mark Emalfarb
- Dyadic International, Inc, 140 Intercoastal Pointe Drive, Suite #404, Jupiter, FL, 33477, USA
| | - Ronen Tchelet
- Dyadic International, Inc, 140 Intercoastal Pointe Drive, Suite #404, Jupiter, FL, 33477, USA
| | - Gerardo Guillén
- Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Ave 31, e/ 158 y 190, Cubanacán, Playa, Havana, Cuba
| | - Miladys Limonta
- Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Ave 31, e/ 158 y 190, Cubanacán, Playa, Havana, Cuba
| | - Eulogio Pimentel
- Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Ave 31, e/ 158 y 190, Cubanacán, Playa, Havana, Cuba
| | - Marta Ayala
- Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Ave 31, e/ 158 y 190, Cubanacán, Playa, Havana, Cuba
| | - Vladimir Besada
- Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Ave 31, e/ 158 y 190, Cubanacán, Playa, Havana, Cuba
| | - Luis Javier González
- Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Ave 31, e/ 158 y 190, Cubanacán, Playa, Havana, Cuba.
| |
Collapse
|
42
|
Kleanthous H, Silverman JM, Makar KW, Yoon IK, Jackson N, Vaughn DW. Scientific rationale for developing potent RBD-based vaccines targeting COVID-19. NPJ Vaccines 2021; 6:128. [PMID: 34711846 PMCID: PMC8553742 DOI: 10.1038/s41541-021-00393-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2021] [Accepted: 10/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Vaccination of the global population against COVID-19 is a great scientific, logistical, and moral challenge. Despite the rapid development and authorization of several full-length Spike (S) protein vaccines, the global demand outweighs the current supply and there is a need for safe, potent, high-volume, affordable vaccines that can fill this gap, especially in low- and middle-income countries. Whether SARS-CoV-2 S-protein receptor-binding domain (RBD)-based vaccines could fill this gap has been debated, especially with regards to its suitability to protect against emerging viral variants of concern. Given a predominance for elicitation of neutralizing antibodies (nAbs) that target RBD following natural infection or vaccination, a key biomarker of protection, there is merit for selection of RBD as a sole vaccine immunogen. With its high-yielding production and manufacturing potential, RBD-based vaccines offer an abundance of temperature-stable doses at an affordable cost. In addition, as the RBD preferentially focuses the immune response to potent and recently recognized cross-protective determinants, this domain may be central to the development of future pan-sarbecovirus vaccines. In this study, we review the data supporting the non-inferiority of RBD as a vaccine immunogen compared to full-length S-protein vaccines with respect to humoral and cellular immune responses against both the prototype pandemic SARS-CoV-2 isolate and emerging variants of concern.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - In-Kyu Yoon
- Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, Greater London, UK
| | - Nicholas Jackson
- Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, Greater London, UK.
| | | |
Collapse
|
43
|
Abstract
The rapid development and deployment of mRNA and adenovirus-vectored vaccines against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) continue to astound the global scientific community, but these vaccine platforms and production approaches have still not achieved global COVID-19 vaccine equity. Immunizing the billions of people at risk for COVID-19 in the world's low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) still relies on the availability of vaccines produced and scaled through traditional technology approaches. Vaccines based on whole inactivated virus (WIV) and protein-based platforms, as well as protein particle-based vaccines, are the most produced by LMIC vaccine manufacturing strategies. Three major WIV vaccines are beginning to be distributed widely. Several protein-based and protein particle-based vaccines are advancing with promising results. Overall, these vaccines are exhibiting excellent safety profiles and in some instances have shown their potential to induce high levels of virus neutralizing antibodies and T cell responses (and protection) both in nonhuman primates and in early studies in humans. There is an urgent need to continue accelerating these vaccines for LMICs in time to fully vaccinate these populations by the end of 2022 at the latest. Achieving these goals would also serve as an important reminder that we must continue to maintain expertise in producing multiple vaccine technologies, rather than relying on any individual platform. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Medicine, Volume 73 is January 2022. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Peter J Hotez
- Departments of Pediatrics and Molecular Virology, National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA; , .,Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Houston, Texas 77030, USA.,Department of Biology, Baylor University, Waco, Texas 76798, USA.,Hagler Institute of Advanced Study, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA
| | - Maria Elena Bottazzi
- Departments of Pediatrics and Molecular Virology, National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA; , .,Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Houston, Texas 77030, USA.,Department of Biology, Baylor University, Waco, Texas 76798, USA
| |
Collapse
|
44
|
Dalvie NC, Rodriguez-Aponte SA, Hartwell BL, Tostanoski LH, Biedermann AM, Crowell LE, Kaur K, Kumru OS, Carter L, Yu J, Chang A, McMahan K, Courant T, Lebas C, Lemnios AA, Rodrigues KA, Silva M, Johnston RS, Naranjo CA, Tracey MK, Brady JR, Whittaker CA, Yun D, Brunette N, Wang JY, Walkey C, Fiala B, Kar S, Porto M, Lok M, Andersen H, Lewis MG, Love KR, Camp DL, Silverman JM, Kleanthous H, Joshi SB, Volkin DB, Dubois PM, Collin N, King NP, Barouch DH, Irvine DJ, Love JC. Engineered SARS-CoV-2 receptor binding domain improves manufacturability in yeast and immunogenicity in mice. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:e2106845118. [PMID: 34493582 PMCID: PMC8463846 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2106845118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2021] [Accepted: 07/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Global containment of COVID-19 still requires accessible and affordable vaccines for low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Recently approved vaccines provide needed interventions, albeit at prices that may limit their global access. Subunit vaccines based on recombinant proteins are suited for large-volume microbial manufacturing to yield billions of doses annually, minimizing their manufacturing cost. These types of vaccines are well-established, proven interventions with multiple safe and efficacious commercial examples. Many vaccine candidates of this type for SARS-CoV-2 rely on sequences containing the receptor-binding domain (RBD), which mediates viral entry to cells via ACE2. Here we report an engineered sequence variant of RBD that exhibits high-yield manufacturability, high-affinity binding to ACE2, and enhanced immunogenicity after a single dose in mice compared to the Wuhan-Hu-1 variant used in current vaccines. Antibodies raised against the engineered protein exhibited heterotypic binding to the RBD from two recently reported SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (501Y.V1/V2). Presentation of the engineered RBD on a designed virus-like particle (VLP) also reduced weight loss in hamsters upon viral challenge.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Neil C Dalvie
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA 02139
- The Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139
| | - Sergio A Rodriguez-Aponte
- The Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139
| | - Brittany L Hartwell
- The Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139
- Ragon Institute of Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), MIT, Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02139
| | - Lisa H Tostanoski
- Center for Virology and Vaccine Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Andrew M Biedermann
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA 02139
- The Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139
| | - Laura E Crowell
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA 02139
- The Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139
| | - Kawaljit Kaur
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Vaccine Analytics, and Formulation Center, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66047
| | - Ozan S Kumru
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Vaccine Analytics, and Formulation Center, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66047
| | - Lauren Carter
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195
| | - Jingyou Yu
- Center for Virology and Vaccine Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Aiquan Chang
- Center for Virology and Vaccine Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Katherine McMahan
- Center for Virology and Vaccine Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Thomas Courant
- Vaccine Formulation Institute, 1228 Plan-Les-Ouates, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Celia Lebas
- Vaccine Formulation Institute, 1228 Plan-Les-Ouates, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Ashley A Lemnios
- The Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139
| | - Kristen A Rodrigues
- The Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139
- Ragon Institute of Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), MIT, Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02139
- Harvard-MIT Health Sciences and Technology, Institute for Medical Engineering and Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139
| | - Murillo Silva
- The Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139
| | - Ryan S Johnston
- The Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139
| | - Christopher A Naranjo
- The Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139
| | - Mary Kate Tracey
- The Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139
| | - Joseph R Brady
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA 02139
- The Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139
| | - Charles A Whittaker
- The Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139
| | - Dongsoo Yun
- The Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139
| | - Natalie Brunette
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195
| | - Jing Yang Wang
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195
| | - Carl Walkey
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195
| | - Brooke Fiala
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Kerry R Love
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA 02139
- The Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139
| | - Danielle L Camp
- The Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139
| | | | | | - Sangeeta B Joshi
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Vaccine Analytics, and Formulation Center, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66047
| | - David B Volkin
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Vaccine Analytics, and Formulation Center, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66047
| | - Patrice M Dubois
- Vaccine Formulation Institute, 1228 Plan-Les-Ouates, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Nicolas Collin
- Vaccine Formulation Institute, 1228 Plan-Les-Ouates, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Neil P King
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195
| | - Dan H Barouch
- Ragon Institute of Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), MIT, Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02139
- Center for Virology and Vaccine Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
- Massachusetts Consortium on Pathogen Readiness, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Darrell J Irvine
- The Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139
- Ragon Institute of Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), MIT, Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02139
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD 20815
| | - J Christopher Love
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA 02139;
- The Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139
| |
Collapse
|
45
|
Receptor-binding domain recombinant protein RBD219-N1C1 on alum-CpG induces broad protection against SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2021. [PMID: 34268512 DOI: 10.1101/2021.07.06.451353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
We conducted preclinical studies in mice using a yeast-produced SARS-CoV-2 RBD219-N1C1 subunit vaccine candidate formulated with aluminum hydroxide (alum) and CpG deoxynucleotides. This vaccine formulation is similar to one that entered advanced phase 3 clinical development in India. We compared the immune response of mice vaccinated with RBD219-N1C1/alum to mice vaccinated with RBD219-N1C1/alum+CpG. We also evaluated mice immunized with RBD219-N1C1/alum+CpG and boosted with RBD219-N1C1/alum. Mice were immunized twice intramuscularly at a 21-day interval. Compared to two doses of the RBD219-N1C1/alum formulation, the RBD219-N1C1/alum+CpG vaccine induced a stronger and more balanced Th1/Th2 cellular immune response, with high levels of neutralizing antibodies against the original Wuhan isolate of SARS-CoV-2 as well as the B.1.1.7 (Alpha), B.1.351 (Beta) and B.1.617.1 (Kappa) variants. Notably, the sera from mice that received two 7 µg doses of RBD219-N1C1/alum+CpG showed more than 18 times higher neutralizing antibody titers against B.1.351, than the WHO International Standard for anti-SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulin NIBSC 20/136. Interestingly, a booster dose did not require the addition of CpG to induce this effect. The data reported here reinforces that the RBD219-N1C1/alum+CpG vaccine formulation is suitable for inducing broadly neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 including three variants of concern, B.1.1.7 (Alpha), B.1.351 (Beta), and B.1.617.1 (Kappa).
Collapse
|
46
|
Ellis D, Brunette N, Crawford KHD, Walls AC, Pham MN, Chen C, Herpoldt KL, Fiala B, Murphy M, Pettie D, Kraft JC, Malone KD, Navarro MJ, Ogohara C, Kepl E, Ravichandran R, Sydeman C, Ahlrichs M, Johnson M, Blackstone A, Carter L, Starr TN, Greaney AJ, Lee KK, Veesler D, Bloom JD, King NP. Stabilization of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike Receptor-Binding Domain Using Deep Mutational Scanning and Structure-Based Design. Front Immunol 2021; 12:710263. [PMID: 34267764 PMCID: PMC8276696 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.710263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2021] [Accepted: 06/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The unprecedented global demand for SARS-CoV-2 vaccines has demonstrated the need for highly effective vaccine candidates that are thermostable and amenable to large-scale manufacturing. Nanoparticle immunogens presenting the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein (S) in repetitive arrays are being advanced as second-generation vaccine candidates, as they feature robust manufacturing characteristics and have shown promising immunogenicity in preclinical models. Here, we used previously reported deep mutational scanning (DMS) data to guide the design of stabilized variants of the RBD. The selected mutations fill a cavity in the RBD that has been identified as a linoleic acid binding pocket. Screening of several designs led to the selection of two lead candidates that expressed at higher yields than the wild-type RBD. These stabilized RBDs possess enhanced thermal stability and resistance to aggregation, particularly when incorporated into an icosahedral nanoparticle immunogen that maintained its integrity and antigenicity for 28 days at 35-40°C, while corresponding immunogens displaying the wild-type RBD experienced aggregation and loss of antigenicity. The stabilized immunogens preserved the potent immunogenicity of the original nanoparticle immunogen, which is currently being evaluated in a Phase I/II clinical trial. Our findings may improve the scalability and stability of RBD-based coronavirus vaccines in any format and more generally highlight the utility of comprehensive DMS data in guiding vaccine design.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Ellis
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
- Graduate Program in Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Natalie Brunette
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Katharine H. D. Crawford
- Basic Sciences and Computational Biology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, United States
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
- Medical Scientist Training Program, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Alexandra C. Walls
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Minh N. Pham
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Chengbo Chen
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
- Biological Physics Structure and Design Program, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Karla-Luise Herpoldt
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Brooke Fiala
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Michael Murphy
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Deleah Pettie
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - John C. Kraft
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Keara D. Malone
- Basic Sciences and Computational Biology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Mary Jane Navarro
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Cassandra Ogohara
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Elizabeth Kepl
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Rashmi Ravichandran
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Claire Sydeman
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Maggie Ahlrichs
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Max Johnson
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Alyssa Blackstone
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Lauren Carter
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Tyler N. Starr
- Basic Sciences and Computational Biology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Allison J. Greaney
- Basic Sciences and Computational Biology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, United States
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
- Medical Scientist Training Program, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Kelly K. Lee
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
- Biological Physics Structure and Design Program, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - David Veesler
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Jesse D. Bloom
- Basic Sciences and Computational Biology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, United States
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Neil P. King
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| |
Collapse
|
47
|
Valdes-Balbin Y, Santana-Mederos D, Paquet F, Fernandez S, Climent Y, Chiodo F, Rodríguez L, Sanchez Ramirez B, Leon K, Hernandez T, Castellanos-Serra L, Garrido R, Chen GW, Garcia-Rivera D, Rivera DG, Verez-Bencomo V. Molecular Aspects Concerning the Use of the SARS-CoV-2 Receptor Binding Domain as a Target for Preventive Vaccines. ACS CENTRAL SCIENCE 2021; 7:757-767. [PMID: 34075345 PMCID: PMC8084267 DOI: 10.1021/acscentsci.1c00216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
The development of recombinant COVID-19 vaccines has resulted from scientific progress made at an unprecedented speed during 2020. The recombinant spike glycoprotein monomer, its trimer, and its recombinant receptor-binding domain (RBD) induce a potent anti-RBD neutralizing antibody response in animals. In COVID-19 convalescent sera, there is a good correlation between the antibody response and potent neutralization. In this review, we summarize with a critical view the molecular aspects associated with the interaction of SARS-CoV-2 RBD with its receptor in human cells, the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), the epitopes involved in the neutralizing activity, and the impact of virus mutations thereof. Recent trends in RBD-based vaccines are analyzed, providing detailed insights into the role of antigen display and multivalence in the immune response of vaccines under development.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Françoise Paquet
- Centre
de Biophysique Moléculaire, Centre
National de la Recherche Scientifique UPR 4301, rue Charles Sadron, F-45071, Orléans, Cedex 2, France
| | | | - Yanet Climent
- Finlay
Vaccine Institute, 200
and 21 Street, Havana 11600, Cuba
| | - Fabrizio Chiodo
- Department
of Molecular Cell Biology and Immunology, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 1081 HV
- Institute
of Biomolecular Chemistry, National Research
Council (CNR), Pozzuoli, Napoli, Italy
| | - Laura Rodríguez
- Finlay
Vaccine Institute, 200
and 21 Street, Havana 11600, Cuba
| | | | - Kalet Leon
- Center
of Molecular Immunology, P.O. Box 16040, 216 Street, Havana, Cuba
| | - Tays Hernandez
- Center
of Molecular Immunology, P.O. Box 16040, 216 Street, Havana, Cuba
| | | | - Raine Garrido
- Finlay
Vaccine Institute, 200
and 21 Street, Havana 11600, Cuba
| | - Guang-Wu Chen
- Chengdu
Olisynn Biotech. Co. Ltd. and State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and
Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan
University, Chengdu 610041, People’s Republic of China
| | | | - Daniel G. Rivera
- Laboratory
of Synthetic and Biomolecular Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Havana, Zapata & G, Havana 10400, Cuba
| | | |
Collapse
|
48
|
Nanishi E, Borriello F, O'Meara TR, McGrath ME, Saito Y, Haupt RE, Seo HS, van Haren SD, Brook B, Chen J, Diray-Arce J, Doss-Gollin S, Leon MD, Chew K, Menon M, Song K, Xu AZ, Caradonna TM, Feldman J, Hauser BM, Schmidt AG, Sherman AC, Baden LR, Ernst RK, Dillen C, Weston SM, Johnson RM, Hammond HL, Mayer R, Burke A, Bottazzi ME, Hotez PJ, Strych U, Chang A, Yu J, Barouch DH, Dhe-Paganon S, Zanoni I, Ozonoff A, Frieman MB, Levy O, Dowling DJ. Alum:CpG adjuvant enables SARS-CoV-2 RBD-induced protection in aged mice and synergistic activation of human elder type 1 immunity. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2021. [PMID: 34031655 DOI: 10.1101/2021.05.20.444848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Global deployment of vaccines that can provide protection across several age groups is still urgently needed to end the COVID-19 pandemic especially for low- and middle-income countries. While vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 based on mRNA and adenoviral-vector technologies have been rapidly developed, additional practical and scalable SARS-CoV-2 vaccines are needed to meet global demand. In this context, protein subunit vaccines formulated with appropriate adjuvants represent a promising approach to address this urgent need. Receptor-binding domain (RBD) is a key target of neutralizing antibodies (Abs) but is poorly immunogenic. We therefore compared pattern recognition receptor (PRR) agonists, including those activating STING, TLR3, TLR4 and TLR9, alone or formulated with aluminum hydroxide (AH), and benchmarked them to AS01B and AS03-like emulsion-based adjuvants for their potential to enhance RBD immunogenicity in young and aged mice. We found that the AH and CpG adjuvant formulation (AH:CpG) demonstrated the highest enhancement of anti-RBD neutralizing Ab titers in both age groups (∼80-fold over AH), and protected aged mice from the SARS-CoV-2 challenge. Notably, AH:CpG-adjuvanted RBD vaccine elicited neutralizing Abs against both wild-type SARS-CoV-2 and B.1.351 variant at serum concentrations comparable to those induced by the authorized mRNA BNT162b2 vaccine. AH:CpG induced similar cytokine and chemokine gene enrichment patterns in the draining lymph nodes of both young adult and aged mice and synergistically enhanced cytokine and chemokine production in human young adult and elderly mononuclear cells. These data support further development of AH:CpG-adjuvanted RBD as an affordable vaccine that may be effective across multiple age groups. One Sentence Summary Alum and CpG enhance SARS-CoV-2 RBD protective immunity, variant neutralization in aged mice and Th1-polarizing cytokine production by human elder leukocytes.
Collapse
|
49
|
Dalvie NC, Biedermann AM, Rodriguez-Aponte SA, Naranjo CA, Rao HD, Rajurkar MP, Lothe RR, Shaligram US, Johnston RS, Crowell LE, Castelino S, Tracey MK, Whittaker CA, Love JC. Scalable, methanol-free manufacturing of the SARS-CoV-2 receptor binding domain in engineered Komagataella phaffii. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2021:2021.04.15.440035. [PMID: 33880471 PMCID: PMC8057236 DOI: 10.1101/2021.04.15.440035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Prevention of COVID-19 on a global scale will require the continued development of high-volume, low-cost platforms for the manufacturing of vaccines to supply on-going demand. Vaccine candidates based on recombinant protein subunits remain important because they can be manufactured at low costs in existing large-scale production facilities that use microbial hosts like Komagataella phaffii ( Pichia pastoris ). Here, we report an improved and scalable manufacturing approach for the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein receptor binding domain (RBD); this protein is a key antigen for several reported vaccine candidates. We genetically engineered a manufacturing strain of K. phaffii to obviate the requirement for methanol-induction of the recombinant gene. Methanol-free production improved the secreted titer of the RBD protein by >5x by alleviating protein folding stress. Removal of methanol from the production process enabled scale up to a 1,200 L pre-existing production facility. This engineered strain is now used to produce an RBD-based vaccine antigen that is currently in clinical trials and could be used to produce other variants of RBD as needed for future vaccines.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Neil C. Dalvie
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
- The Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 01239, United States
| | - Andrew M. Biedermann
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
- The Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 01239, United States
| | - Sergio A. Rodriguez-Aponte
- The Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 01239, United States
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Christopher A. Naranjo
- The Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 01239, United States
| | | | | | | | | | - Ryan S. Johnston
- The Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 01239, United States
| | - Laura E. Crowell
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
- The Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 01239, United States
| | - Seraphin Castelino
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Mary Kate Tracey
- The Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 01239, United States
| | - Charles A. Whittaker
- The Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 01239, United States
| | - J. Christopher Love
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
- The Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 01239, United States
| |
Collapse
|