Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic led to development of mRNA vaccines, which became a leading anti-SARS-CoV-2 immunization platform. Preclinical studies are limited to infection-prone animals such as hamsters and monkeys in which protective efficacy of vaccines cannot be fully appreciated. We recently reported a SARS-CoV-2 human Fc-conjugated receptor-binding domain (RBD-hFc) mRNA vaccine delivered via lipid nanoparticles (LNPs). BALB/c mice demonstrated specific immunologic responses following RBD-hFc mRNA vaccination. Now, we evaluated the protective effect of this RBD-hFc mRNA vaccine by employing the K18 human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (K18-hACE2) mouse model. Administration of an RBD-hFc mRNA vaccine to K18-hACE2 mice resulted in robust humoral responses comprising binding and neutralizing antibodies. In correlation with this response, 70% of vaccinated mice withstood a lethal SARS-CoV-2 dose, while all control animals succumbed to infection. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first nonreplicating mRNA vaccine study reporting protection of K18-hACE2 against a lethal SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 4774-4779 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Nano Letters |
Volume | 21 |
Issue number | 11 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 9 Jun 2021 |
Keywords
- COVID-19
- SARS-CoV-2
- ionizable lipids
- lipid nanoparticles
- mRNA vaccine
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- General Chemistry
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Mechanical Engineering
- Bioengineering
- General Materials Science