An interferon-integrated mucosal vaccine provides pan-sarbecovirus protection in small animal models

Chun Kit Yuen, Wan Man Wong, Long Fung Mak, Joy Yan Lam, Lok Yi Cheung, Derek Tsz Yin Cheung, Yau Yee Ng, Andrew Chak Yiu Lee, Nanshan Zhong, Kwok Yung Yuen, Kin Hang Kok

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

9 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

A pan-sarbecovirus or pan-betacoronavirus vaccine that can prevent current and potential future beta-coronavirus infections is important for fighting possible future pandemics. Here, we report a mucosal vaccine that cross-protects small animal models from sarbecoviruses including SARS-CoV-1, SARS-CoV-2 and its variants. The vaccine comprises a live-but-defective SARS-CoV-2 virus that is envelope deficient and has the orf8 segment replaced by interferon-beta, hence named Interferon Beta Integrated SARS-CoV-2 (IBIS) vaccine. Nasal vaccination with IBIS protected mice from lethal homotypic SARS-CoV-2 infection and hamsters from co-housing-mediated transmission of homotypic virus. Moreover, IBIS provided complete protection against heterotypic sarbecoviruses, including SARS-CoV-2 Delta and Omicron variants, and SARS-CoV-1 in both mice and hamsters. Besides inducing a strong lung CD8 + T cell response, IBIS specifically heightened the activation of mucosal virus-specific CD4 + T cells compared to the interferon-null vaccine. The direct production of interferon by IBIS also suppressed virus co-infection of SARS-CoV-2 in human cells, reducing the risk of genetic recombination when using as live vaccines. Altogether, IBIS is a next-generation pan-sarbecovirus vaccine and warrants further clinical investigations.

Original languageEnglish
Article number6762
JournalNature Communications
Volume14
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Dec 2023
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2023, Springer Nature Limited.

ASJC Scopus Subject Areas

  • General Chemistry
  • General Biochemistry,Genetics and Molecular Biology
  • General Physics and Astronomy

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