OVX033, a nucleocapsid-based vaccine candidate, provides broad-spectrum protection against SARS-CoV-2 variants in a hamster challenge model

oleh: Charlotte Primard, Elodie Monchâtre-Leroy, Judith Del Campo, Séverine Valsesia, Elsa Nikly, Marion Chevandier, Franck Boué, Alexandre Servat, Marine Wasniewski, Evelyne Picard-Meyer, Thomas Courant, Nicolas Collin, Francisco J. Salguero, Alexandre Le Vert, Delphine Guyon-Gellin, Florence Nicolas

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: Frontiers Media S.A. 2023-06-01

Deskripsi

Spike-based COVID-19 vaccines induce potent neutralizing antibodies but their efficacy against SARS-CoV-2 variants decreases. OVX033 is a recombinant protein composed of the full-length nucleocapsid (N) protein of SARS-CoV-2 genetically fused to oligoDOM®, a self-assembling domain which improves antigen immunogenicity. OVX033 including N as an antigenic target is proposed as new vaccine candidate providing broad-spectrum protection against sarbecoviruses. OVX033 demonstrated its ability to trigger cross-reactive T cell responses and cross-protection against three variants of SARS-CoV-2 (B.1 Europe, Delta B.1.617.2, and Omicron B.1.1.529) in a hamster challenge model, as evidenced by lower weight loss, lower lung viral loads, and reduced lung histopathological lesions.