c0hfzccj

Property	Value
?:abstract	Next-generation vaccines that are safe, effective and with equitable access globally are required to prevent SARS-CoV-2 transmission at a population level. One strategy that has gained significant interest is to ‘repurpose’ existing licensed vaccines for use against COVID-19. In this report, we have exploited the immunostimulatory properties of bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG), the vaccine for tuberculosis, to develop a SARS-CoV-2-specific and highly immunogenic vaccine candidate. Combination of BCG with a stabilized, trimeric form of the SARS-CoV-2 spike antigen promoted rapid development of virus-specific IgG antibodies in the sera of vaccinated mice, which could be further augmented by the addition of alum. This vaccine formulation, termed BCG:CoVac, induced a Th1-biased response both in terms of IgG antibody subclass and cytokine release by vaccine-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. A single dose of BCG:CoVac was sufficient to induce high-titre SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) that were detectable as early as 2 weeks post-vaccination; NAb levels were greater than that seen in the sera of SARS-CoV-2-infected individuals. Boosting of BCG:CoVac-primed mice with a heterologous vaccine combination (spike protein plus alum) could further increase SARS-CoV-2 spike protein-specific antibody response. BCG:CoVac would be broadly applicable for all populations susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection and in particular could be readily incorporated into current vaccine schedules in countries where BCG is currently used. Importance Effective distribution of vaccine to low- and middle-income countries is critical for the control of the COVID-19 pandemic. To achieve this, vaccines must offer effective protective immunity yet should be cheap to manufacture and meet cold chain management requirements. This study describes a unique COVID-19 vaccine candidate, termed BCG:CoVac, that when delivered as a single dose induces potent SARS-CoV-2 specific immunity in mice, particularly through generation of high-titre, anti-viral neutralising antibodies. BCG:CoVac is built on safe and well-characterised vaccine components: 1) the BCG vaccine, used for control of tuberculosis since 1921 which also has remarkable ‘off target’ effects, protecting children and the elderly against diverse respiratory viral infections; 2) Alhydrogel adjuvant (Alum), a low cost, globally accessible vaccine adjuvant with an excellent safety record in humans (part of >20 licensed human vaccines and in use >70 years); 3) Stabilized, trimeric SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, which stimulates immune specificity for COVID-19. Further assessment in humans will determine if BCG:CoVac can impart protective immunity against not only SARS-CoV-2, but also other respiratory infections where BCG has known efficacy.
is ?:annotates of	<https://research.tib.eu/covid-19/entity/c0hfzccj_hasAnnotation_C1423842> <https://research.tib.eu/covid-19/entity/c0hfzccj_hasAnnotation_C5203676>
?:creator	<https://research.tib.eu/covid-19/entity/Counoupas%2C_Claudio%3B_Stella%2C_Alberto_O.%3B_Bhattacharyya%2C_Nayan_D.%3B_Grey%2C_Alice%3B_Patel%2C_Karishma%3B_Ferguson%2C_Angela_L.%3B_Hutchings%2C_Owen%3B_Feng%2C_Carl_G.%3B_Palendira%2C%3B_Steain%2C_Megan%3B_Aggarwal%2C_Anupriya%3B_Low%2C_Jason_K._K.%3B_Mackay%2C_Joel_P.%3B_Kelleher%2C_Anthony_D.%3B_Britton%2C_Warwick_J.%3B_Turville%2C_Stuart_G%3B_Triccas%2C_James_A.>
?:doi	<https://research.tib.eu/covid-19/entity/10.1101/2020.12.10.419044>
?:doi	10.1101/2020.12.10.419044
?:externalLink	<https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.12.10.419044>
?:journal	bioRxiv
?:license	biorxiv
?:pdf_json_files	document_parses/pdf_json/4698757fbebb96669a83bc44b926591774793c7e.json
?:publication_isRelatedTo_Disease	<https://research.tib.eu/covid-19/entity/COVID-19>
?:sha_id	<https://research.tib.eu/covid-19/entity/4698757fbebb96669a83bc44b926591774793c7e>
?:source	BioRxiv; WHO
?:title	A single dose, BCG-adjuvanted SARS-CoV-2 vaccine induces Th1-polarized immunity and high-titre neutralizing antibodies in mice
?:type	<https://research.tib.eu/covid-19/vocab/Publication>
?:year	2020-12-10

Property

Value

?:abstract

Next-generation vaccines that are safe, effective and with equitable access globally are required to prevent SARS-CoV-2 transmission at a population level. One strategy that has gained significant interest is to ‘repurpose’ existing licensed vaccines for use against COVID-19. In this report, we have exploited the immunostimulatory properties of bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG), the vaccine for tuberculosis, to develop a SARS-CoV-2-specific and highly immunogenic vaccine candidate. Combination of BCG with a stabilized, trimeric form of the SARS-CoV-2 spike antigen promoted rapid development of virus-specific IgG antibodies in the sera of vaccinated mice, which could be further augmented by the addition of alum. This vaccine formulation, termed BCG:CoVac, induced a Th1-biased response both in terms of IgG antibody subclass and cytokine release by vaccine-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. A single dose of BCG:CoVac was sufficient to induce high-titre SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) that were detectable as early as 2 weeks post-vaccination; NAb levels were greater than that seen in the sera of SARS-CoV-2-infected individuals. Boosting of BCG:CoVac-primed mice with a heterologous vaccine combination (spike protein plus alum) could further increase SARS-CoV-2 spike protein-specific antibody response. BCG:CoVac would be broadly applicable for all populations susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection and in particular could be readily incorporated into current vaccine schedules in countries where BCG is currently used. Importance Effective distribution of vaccine to low- and middle-income countries is critical for the control of the COVID-19 pandemic. To achieve this, vaccines must offer effective protective immunity yet should be cheap to manufacture and meet cold chain management requirements. This study describes a unique COVID-19 vaccine candidate, termed BCG:CoVac, that when delivered as a single dose induces potent SARS-CoV-2 specific immunity in mice, particularly through generation of high-titre, anti-viral neutralising antibodies. BCG:CoVac is built on safe and well-characterised vaccine components: 1) the BCG vaccine, used for control of tuberculosis since 1921 which also has remarkable ‘off target’ effects, protecting children and the elderly against diverse respiratory viral infections; 2) Alhydrogel adjuvant (Alum), a low cost, globally accessible vaccine adjuvant with an excellent safety record in humans (part of >20 licensed human vaccines and in use >70 years); 3) Stabilized, trimeric SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, which stimulates immune specificity for COVID-19. Further assessment in humans will determine if BCG:CoVac can impart protective immunity against not only SARS-CoV-2, but also other respiratory infections where BCG has known efficacy.

is ?:annotates of