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Capone S, Raggioli A, Gentile M, Battella S, Lahm A, Sommella A, Contino AM, Urbanowicz RA, Scala R, Barra F, Leuzzi A, Lilli E, Miselli G, Noto A, Ferraiuolo M, Talotta F, Tsoleridis T, Castilletti C, Matusali G, Colavita F, Lapa D, Meschi S, Capobianchi M, Soriani M, Folgori A, Ball JK, Colloca S, Vitelli A. Immunogenicity of a new gorilla adenovirus vaccine candidate for COVID-19. Mol Ther 2021; 29:2412-2423. [PMID: 33895322 PMCID: PMC8062434 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2021.04.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2020] [Revised: 01/22/2021] [Accepted: 04/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by the emergent severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) threatens global public health, and there is an urgent need to develop safe and effective vaccines. Here, we report the generation and the preclinical evaluation of a novel replication-defective gorilla adenovirus-vectored vaccine encoding the pre-fusion stabilized Spike (S) protein of SARS-CoV-2. We show that our vaccine candidate, GRAd-COV2, is highly immunogenic both in mice and macaques, eliciting both functional antibodies that neutralize SARS-CoV-2 infection and block Spike protein binding to the ACE2 receptor, and a robust, T helper (Th)1-dominated cellular response. We show here that the pre-fusion stabilized Spike antigen is superior to the wild type in inducing ACE2-interfering, SARS-CoV-2-neutralizing antibodies. To face the unprecedented need for vaccine manufacturing at a massive scale, different GRAd genome deletions were compared to select the vector backbone showing the highest productivity in stirred tank bioreactors. This preliminary dataset identified GRAd-COV2 as a potential COVID-19 vaccine candidate, supporting the translation of the GRAd-COV2 vaccine in a currently ongoing phase I clinical trial (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04528641).
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Richard A Urbanowicz
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK; NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK; Wolfson Centre for Emerging Virus Research, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Theocharis Tsoleridis
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK; NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK; Wolfson Centre for Emerging Virus Research, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Concetta Castilletti
- National Institute for Infectious Diseases "Lazzaro Spallanzani" IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Giulia Matusali
- National Institute for Infectious Diseases "Lazzaro Spallanzani" IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Francesca Colavita
- National Institute for Infectious Diseases "Lazzaro Spallanzani" IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Daniele Lapa
- National Institute for Infectious Diseases "Lazzaro Spallanzani" IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Silvia Meschi
- National Institute for Infectious Diseases "Lazzaro Spallanzani" IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Maria Capobianchi
- National Institute for Infectious Diseases "Lazzaro Spallanzani" IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | | | | | - Jonathan K Ball
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK; NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK; Wolfson Centre for Emerging Virus Research, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
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Napolitano F, Merone R, Abbate A, Ammendola V, Horncastle E, Lanzaro F, Esposito M, Contino AM, Sbrocchi R, Sommella A, Duncan JD, Hinds J, Urbanowicz RA, Lahm A, Colloca S, Folgori A, Ball JK, Nicosia A, Wizel B, Capone S, Vitelli A. Correction: A next generation vaccine against human rabies based on a single dose of a chimpanzee adenovirus vector serotype C. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2021; 15:e0009348. [PMID: 33848297 PMCID: PMC8043396 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0009348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
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Napolitano F, Merone R, Abbate A, Ammendola V, Horncastle E, Lanzaro F, Esposito M, Contino AM, Sbrocchi R, Sommella A, Duncan JD, Hinds J, Urbanowicz RA, Lahm A, Colloca S, Folgori A, Ball JK, Nicosia A, Wizel B, Capone S, Vitelli A. A next generation vaccine against human rabies based on a single dose of a chimpanzee adenovirus vector serotype C. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2020; 14:e0008459. [PMID: 32667913 PMCID: PMC7363076 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0008459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2019] [Accepted: 06/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Rabies, caused by RNA viruses in the Genus Lyssavirus, is the most fatal of all infectious diseases. This neglected zoonosis remains a major public health problem in developing countries, causing the death of an estimated 25,000-159,000 people each year, with more than half of them in children. The high incidence of human rabies in spite of effective vaccines is mainly linked to the lack of compliance with the complicated administration schedule, inadequacies of the community public health system for local administration by the parenteral route and the overall costs of the vaccine. The goal of our work was the development of a simple, affordable and effective vaccine strategy to prevent human rabies virus infection. This next generation vaccine is based on a replication-defective chimpanzee adenovirus vector belonging to group C, ChAd155-RG, which encodes the rabies glycoprotein (G). We demonstrate here that a single dose of this vaccine induces protective efficacy in a murine model of rabies challenge and elicits strong and durable neutralizing antibody responses in vaccinated non-human primates. Importantly, we demonstrate that one dose of a commercial rabies vaccine effectively boosts the neutralizing antibody responses induced by ChAd155-RG in vaccinated monkeys, showing the compatibility of the novel vectored vaccine with the current post-exposure prophylaxis in the event of rabies virus exposure. Finally, we demonstrate that antibodies induced by ChAd155-RG can also neutralize European bat lyssaviruses 1 and 2 (EBLV-1 and EBLV-2) found in bat reservoirs.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Emma Horncastle
- Wolfson Centre for Global Virus Infections, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Joshua D. Duncan
- Wolfson Centre for Global Virus Infections, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Jospeh Hinds
- Wolfson Centre for Global Virus Infections, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Richard A. Urbanowicz
- Wolfson Centre for Global Virus Infections, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | | | | | | | - Jonathan K. Ball
- Wolfson Centre for Global Virus Infections, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Alfredo Nicosia
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, University Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Benjamin Wizel
- GSK Vaccines, Rockville, Maryland, United States of America
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Esposito I, Cicconi P, D'Alise AM, Brown A, Esposito M, Swadling L, Holst PJ, Bassi MR, Stornaiuolo M, Mori F, Vassilev V, Li W, Donnison T, Gentile C, Turner B, von Delft A, Del Sorbo M, Barra F, Contino AM, Abbate A, Novellino E, Thomsen AR, Christensen JP, Lahm A, Grazioli F, Ammendola V, Siani L, Colloca S, Klenerman P, Nicosia A, Dorrell L, Folgori A, Capone S, Barnes E. MHC class II invariant chain-adjuvanted viral vectored vaccines enhances T cell responses in humans. Sci Transl Med 2020; 12:12/548/eaaz7715. [PMID: 32554708 PMCID: PMC7610808 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aaz7715] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2019] [Accepted: 05/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Strategies to enhance the induction of high magnitude T cell responses through vaccination are urgently needed. Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II-associated invariant chain (Ii) plays a critical role in antigen presentation, forming MHC class II peptide complexes for the generation of CD4+ T cell responses. Preclinical studies evaluating the fusion of Ii to antigens encoded in vector delivery systems have shown that this strategy may enhance T cell immune responses to the encoded antigen. We now assess this strategy in humans, using chimpanzee adenovirus 3 and modified vaccinia Ankara vectors encoding human Ii fused to the nonstructural (NS) antigens of hepatitis C virus (HCV) in a heterologous prime/boost regimen. Vaccination was well tolerated and enhanced the peak magnitude, breadth, and proliferative capacity of anti-HCV T cell responses compared to non-Ii vaccines in humans. Very high frequencies of HCV-specific T cells were elicited in humans. Polyfunctional HCV-specific CD8+ and CD4+ responses were induced with up to 30% of CD3+CD8+ cells targeting single HCV epitopes; these were mostly effector memory cells with a high proportion expressing T cell activation and cytolytic markers. No volunteers developed anti-Ii T cell or antibody responses. Using a mouse model and in vitro experiments, we show that Ii fused to NS increases HCV immune responses through enhanced ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation. This strategy could be used to develop more potent HCV vaccines that may contribute to the HCV elimination targets and paves the way for developing class II Ii vaccines against cancer and other infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilaria Esposito
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7BN, UK
| | - Paola Cicconi
- The Jenner Institute Laboratories, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7DQ, UK
| | | | - Anthony Brown
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7BN, UK
| | | | - Leo Swadling
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7BN, UK
| | - Peter Johannes Holst
- Center for Medical Parasitology, University of Copenhagen, DK-2200 Copenhagen, Denmark.,Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, DK-2200 Copenhagen, Denmark.,InProTher ApS, BioInnovation Institute, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Maria Rosaria Bassi
- Center for Medical Parasitology, University of Copenhagen, DK-2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Mariano Stornaiuolo
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | | | | | - Wenqin Li
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7BN, UK
| | - Timothy Donnison
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7BN, UK
| | - Chiara Gentile
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, University of Naples Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Bethany Turner
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7BN, UK
| | - Annette von Delft
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7BN, UK
| | | | | | | | | | - Ettore Novellino
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Allan Randrup Thomsen
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, DK-2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Paul Klenerman
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7BN, UK.,The Jenner Institute Laboratories, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7DQ, UK
| | - Alfredo Nicosia
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, University of Naples Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy.,CEINGE-Biotecnologie Avanzate, via Gaetano Salvatore 486, 80145 Naples, Italy.,Keires AG, 4051 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Lucy Dorrell
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7BN, UK.,Oxford NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, Headington OX3 9DU, UK
| | | | | | - Eleanor Barnes
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7BN, UK. .,The Jenner Institute Laboratories, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7DQ, UK
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