One and Done: A safe, adaptable single-cycle SARS-CoV-2 vaccine platform blocks XBB.1.5 infection and transmission

Abstract

A next-generation SARS-CoV-2 vaccine must address the currently inadequate prevention of virus transmission, particularly against emerging variants of concern, a challenge that none of the licensed commercial vaccines fully meet. Effective control of respiratory pandemics necessitates vaccines that 1) can be rapidly adapted, 2) have high patient compliance with simple and non-invasive administration, and 3) block transmission in a virus challenge. We describe here the characterization of an updated single-cycle SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate (scVac), engineered as a replication-defective virus with targeted deletions of the E gene and ORF6 and ORF7a, along with a truncation of ORF3a. The candidate carries an Omicron XBB.1.5 Spike (scVacXBB), maintaining all essential antigenic properties. The vaccine demonstrated an excellent safety profile in K18-hACE2 transgenic mice, the most sensitive virulence model, with no clinical signs or adverse events observed. In the Syrian hamster model, potent systemic and mucosal immune responses were induced, along with a strong neutralizing antibody response. Notably, there was no virus transmission to co-housed naive animals, which outperforms a bivalent Omicron mRNA vaccine reference. Our results demonstrate that scVacXBB-induced immunity not only prevents disease but also effectively blocks transmission. Furthermore, the successful introduction of the XBB.1.5 Spike protein into the scVac platform demonstrates the pipelines ability to adapt quickly to any emerging variant. These findings highlight the potential of this single-cycle concept as a next-generation COVID-19 vaccine, offering robust protection with a strong safety profile.