Duke researchers have achieved a significant breakthrough in the development of a pan-coronavirus vaccine that targets three deadly strains. This vaccine has demonstrated efficacy in mouse studies, opening the door for potential human trials. The progress made by the experts at the Duke Human Vaccine Institute is a major step towards the creation of a universal coronavirus vaccine, which is desperately needed to address the global health crisis.
Through their research, the team confirmed that the vaccine candidate could effectively target both SARS and MERS strains. The preliminary mouse trials exhibited promising results, emphasizing the potential of a universal coronavirus vaccine.
Published in the journal Cell Reports, this groundbreaking study describes an innovative nanoparticle vaccine that builds upon a previous version that protected mice and primates from various SARS-CoV-2 strains responsible for COVID-19.
The researchers successfully protected mice from another form of SARS coronavirus, known as SARS-CoV-1, which can infect humans, as well as a MERS coronavirus that has caused deadly outbreaks worldwide. Senior author Kevin O. Saunders, Ph.D., associate director of the Duke Human Vaccine Institute, commented, “We are making important progress toward a broadly protective coronavirus vaccine. These are pathogens that cause significant human infections and loss of life, and a single vaccine with protection could slow down or even prevent another pandemic.”
The tri-valent vaccine developed by Saunders and his team uses a nanoparticle loaded with receptor binding domains from each of the coronaviruses. These domains are essential for the viruses to infiltrate the body’s cells. By using these fragments, the vaccine provides enough information for immune cells to develop an effective response against the actual coronaviruses.
Earlier studies showed that a previous version of the nanoparticle vaccine was effective against multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants in both mice and primates. Human tests are planned for next year on a version of the vaccine that carries immunogens capable of targeting different SARS-CoV-2 strains.
Building upon previous research, the current study expanded the vaccine’s scope to include another SARS-related virus and a MERS virus. In lab studies and tests conducted on mice, the vaccine generated antibodies capable of inhibiting all three pathogenic human coronavirus types.
An important result of the study was that the vaccinated mice did not show signs of illness when exposed to SARS-like or MERS-like viruses. Saunders concludes, “This study demonstrates proof-of-concept that a single vaccine that protects against both MERS and SARS viruses is an achievable goal. Given the recent history of MERS and SARS infections in humans, the development of universal coronavirus vaccines is a global health priority.”
The study, titled “Vaccine-mediated protection against Merbecovirus and Sarbecovirus challenge in mice,” was conducted by David R. Martinez, Alexandra Schafer, Tyler D. Gavitt, Michael L. Mallory, Esther Lee, Nicholas J. Catanzaro, Haiyan Chen, Kendra Gully, Trevor Scobey, Pooja Korategere, Alecia Brown, Lena Smith, Rob Parks, Maggie Barr, Amanda Newman, Cindy Bowman, John M. Powers, Erik J. Soderblom, Katayoun Mansouri, Robert J. Edwards, Ralph S. Baric, Barton F. Haynes, and senior author Kevin O. Saunders. The study received funding support from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health.
Source: Cell Reports
