A novel linker-immunodominant site (LIS) vaccine targeting the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein protects against severe COVID-19 in Syrian hamsters

Bao Zhong Zhang, Xiaolei Wang, Shuofeng Yuan, Wenjun Li, Ying Dou, Vincent Kwok Man Poon, Chris Chung Sing Chan, Jian Piao Cai, Kenn Ka Heng Chik, Kaiming Tang, Chris Chun Yiu Chan, Ye Fan Hu, Jing Chu Hu, Smaranda Ruxandra Badea, Hua Rui Gong, Xuansheng Lin, Hin Chu, Xuechen Li, Kelvin Kai Wang To, Li LiuZhiwei Chen, Ivan Fan Ngai Hung, Kwok Yung Yuen, Jasper Fuk Woo Chan, Jian Dong Huang

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

9 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is unlikely to abate until sufficient herd immunity is built up by either natural infection or vaccination. We previously identified ten linear immunodominant sites on the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein of which four are located within the RBD. Therefore, we designed two linkerimmunodominant site (LIS) vaccine candidates which are composed of four immunodominant sites within the RBD (RBD-ID) or all the 10 immunodominant sites within the whole spike (S-ID). They were administered by subcutaneous injection and were tested for immunogenicity and in vivo protective efficacy in a hamster model for COVID-19. We showed that the S-ID vaccine induced significantly better neutralizing antibody response than RBD-ID and alum control. As expected, hamsters vaccinated by S-ID had significantly less body weight loss, lung viral load, and histopathological changes of pneumonia. The S-ID has the potential to be an effective vaccine for protection against COVID-19.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)874-884
Number of pages11
JournalEmerging Microbes and Infections
Volume10
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2021
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

ASJC Scopus Subject Areas

  • Epidemiology
  • Parasitology
  • Microbiology
  • Immunology
  • Drug Discovery
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Virology

Keywords

  • COVID-19
  • linker-immunodominant site
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • spike protein
  • vaccine

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