A ferritin-based COVID-19 nanoparticle vaccine that elicits robust, durable, broad-spectrum neutralizing antisera in non-human primates

Weidenbacher, P. A.- B.; Sanyal, M.; Friedland, N.; Tang, S.; S Arunachalam, P.; Hu, M.; Kumru, O. S.; Morris, M. K.; Fontenot, J.; Shirreff, L.; Do, J.; Cheng, Y.-C.; Vasudevan, G.; Feinberg, M. B.; Villinger, F. J.; Hanson, C.; Joshi, S. B.; Volkin, D. B.; Pulendran, B.; Kim, P. S.

doi:10.1101/2022.12.25.521784

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bioRxiv · 10.1101/2022.12.25.521784

A ferritin-based COVID-19 nanoparticle vaccine that elicits robust, durable, broad-spectrum neutralizing antisera in non-human primates

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Abstract

While the rapid development of COVID-19 vaccines has been a scientific triumph, the need remains for a globally available vaccine that provides longer-lasting immunity against present and future SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs). Here, we describe DCFHP, a ferritin-based, protein-nanoparticle vaccine candidate that, when formulated with aluminum hydroxide as the sole adjuvant (DCFHP-alum), elicits potent and durable neutralizing antisera in non-human primates against known VOCs, including Omicron BQ.1, as well as against SARS-CoV-1. Following a booster [~]one year after the initial immunization, DCFHP-alum elicits a robust anamnestic response. To enable global accessibility, we generated a cell line that can enable production of thousands of vaccine doses per liter of cell culture and show that DCFHP-alum maintains potency for at least 14 days at temperatures exceeding standard room temperature. DCFHP-alum has potential as a once-yearly booster vaccine, and as a primary vaccine for pediatric use including in infants.

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Weidenbacher, P. A.- B., Sanyal, M., Friedland, N., Tang, S., S Arunachalam, P., Hu, M., Kumru, O. S., Morris, M. K., Fontenot, J., Shirreff, L., Do, J., Cheng, Y.-C., Vasudevan, G., Feinberg, M. B., Villinger, F. J., Hanson, C., Joshi, S. B., Volkin, D. B., Pulendran, B., Kim, P. S.. 2022-12-26. A ferritin-based COVID-19 nanoparticle vaccine that elicits robust, durable, broad-spectrum neutralizing antisera in non-human primates. https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.12.25.521784

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