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Vaccines
Special Issues
COVID Vaccines: Design and Development Strategies
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COVID Vaccines: Design and Development Strategies

A special issue of Vaccines (ISSN 2076-393X). This special issue belongs to the section "COVID-19 Vaccines and Vaccination".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (29 April 2023) | Viewed by 15483

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Bin Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
Interests: vaccine design; mechanism of vaccine-induced immunosuppression; nanoparticles and gene delivery system; virus-like particles during antigen presentation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Although several vaccines have been approved for market fight against the COVID-19, we still face the breakthrough established host immunity or even serological mutations from its variants.

Aim: This special issue will provide a platform for discussing potential novel strategies for better vaccine designs, research works, and experimental results against the COVID-19.

Scope:

  • Novel designs for COVID-19 vaccine, including broadening spectrum, sarbecovirus, multivalent, multi- or mosaic-antigens;
  • Multiple vaccine technological platforms;
  • Protective mechanisms;
  • Correlation of protection and immune response.

Dr. Bin Wang
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Vaccines is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 2285 KiB  
Article
Design and Immunogenicity of SARS-CoV-2 DNA Vaccine Encoding RBD-PVXCP Fusion Protein
by Dmitri Dormeshkin, Mikalai Katsin, Maria Stegantseva, Sergey Golenchenko, Michail Shapira, Simon Dubovik, Dzmitry Lutskovich, Anton Kavaleuski and Alexander Meleshko
Vaccines 2023, 11(6), 1014; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines11061014 - 23 May 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2336
Abstract
The potential of immune-evasive mutation accumulation in the SARS-CoV-2 virus has led to its rapid spread, causing over 600 million confirmed cases and more than 6.5 million confirmed deaths. The huge demand for the rapid development and deployment of low-cost and effective vaccines [...] Read more.
The potential of immune-evasive mutation accumulation in the SARS-CoV-2 virus has led to its rapid spread, causing over 600 million confirmed cases and more than 6.5 million confirmed deaths. The huge demand for the rapid development and deployment of low-cost and effective vaccines against emerging variants has renewed interest in DNA vaccine technology. Here, we report the rapid generation and immunological evaluation of novel DNA vaccine candidates against the Wuhan-Hu-1 and Omicron variants based on the RBD protein fused with the Potato virus X coat protein (PVXCP). The delivery of DNA vaccines using electroporation in a two-dose regimen induced high-antibody titers and profound cellular responses in mice. The antibody titers induced against the Omicron variant of the vaccine were sufficient for effective protection against both Omicron and Wuhan-Hu-1 virus infections. The PVXCP protein in the vaccine construct shifted the immune response to the favorable Th1-like type and provided the oligomerization of RBD-PVXCP protein. Naked DNA delivery by needle-free injection allowed us to achieve antibody titers comparable with mRNA-LNP delivery in rabbits. These data identify the RBD-PVXCP DNA vaccine platform as a promising solution for robust and effective SARS-CoV-2 protection, supporting further translational study. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue COVID Vaccines: Design and Development Strategies)
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12 pages, 1397 KiB  
Article
A COVID-19 DNA Vaccine Candidate Elicits Broadly Neutralizing Antibodies against Multiple SARS-CoV-2 Variants including the Currently Circulating Omicron BA.5, BF.7, BQ.1 and XBB
by Yuan Ding, Feng Fan, Xin Xu, Gan Zhao, Xin Zhang, Huiyun Zhao, Limei Wang, Bin Wang and Xiao-Ming Gao
Vaccines 2023, 11(4), 778; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines11040778 - 31 Mar 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2392
Abstract
Waves of breakthrough infections by SARS-CoV-2 Omicron subvariants currently pose a global challenge to the control of the COVID-19 pandemic. We previously reported a pVAX1-based DNA vaccine candidate, pAD1002, that encodes a receptor-binding domain (RBD) chimera of SARS-CoV-1 and Omicron BA.1. In mouse [...] Read more.
Waves of breakthrough infections by SARS-CoV-2 Omicron subvariants currently pose a global challenge to the control of the COVID-19 pandemic. We previously reported a pVAX1-based DNA vaccine candidate, pAD1002, that encodes a receptor-binding domain (RBD) chimera of SARS-CoV-1 and Omicron BA.1. In mouse and rabbit models, pAD1002 plasmid induced cross-neutralizing Abs against heterologous sarbecoviruses, including SARS-CoV-1 and SARS-CoV-2 wildtype, Delta and Omicron variants. However, these antisera failed to block the recent emerging Omicron subvariants BF.7 and BQ.1. To solve this problem, we replaced the BA.1 RBD-encoding DNA sequence in pAD1002 with that of BA.4/5. The resulting construct, namely pAD1016, elicited SARS-CoV-1 and SARS-CoV-2 RBD-specific IFN-γ+ cellular responses in BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice. More importantly, pAD1016 vaccination in mice, rabbits and pigs generated serum Abs capable of neutralizing pseudoviruses representing multiple SARS-CoV-2 Omicron subvariants including BA.2, BA.4/5, BF.7, BQ.1 and XBB. As a booster vaccine for inactivated SARS-CoV-2 virus preimmunization in mice, pAD1016 broadened the serum Ab neutralization spectrum to cover the Omicron BA.4/5, BF7 and BQ.1 subvariants. These preliminary data highlight the potential benefit of pAD1016 in eliciting neutralizing Abs against broad-spectrum Omicron subvariants in individuals previously vaccinated with inactivated prototype SARS-CoV-2 virus and suggests that pAD1016 is worthy of further translational study as a COVID-19 vaccine candidate. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue COVID Vaccines: Design and Development Strategies)
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17 pages, 2658 KiB  
Article
A Polysaccharide-RBD-Fc-Conjugated COVID-19 Vaccine, SCTV01A, Showed High Immunogenicity and Low Toxicity in Animal Models
by Chunyun Sun, Desheng Kong, Erhong Guo, Jun Zhao, Jilei Jia, Rui Wang, Juan Ma, Meng Chen, Jianbo Lu, Chulin Yu, Kuokuo Li and Liangzhi Xie
Vaccines 2023, 11(3), 526; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines11030526 - 23 Feb 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2019
Abstract
We previously developed a polysaccharide-–RBD-conjugated nanoparticle vaccine which induced protective efficacy against SARS-CoV-2 in a mouse model. Here, we newly developed a vaccine, SCTV01A, by chemically conjugating recombinant SARS-CoV-2 RBD-Fc and PPS14 (Streptococcus pneumoniae serotype type 14 capsular polysaccharide). The immunogenicity and [...] Read more.
We previously developed a polysaccharide-–RBD-conjugated nanoparticle vaccine which induced protective efficacy against SARS-CoV-2 in a mouse model. Here, we newly developed a vaccine, SCTV01A, by chemically conjugating recombinant SARS-CoV-2 RBD-Fc and PPS14 (Streptococcus pneumoniae serotype type 14 capsular polysaccharide). The immunogenicity and toxicity of SCTV01A were evaluated in animal models. The PPS14 conjugation enhanced the immunogenicity of RBD-Fc in C57BL/6 mice whether formulated with SCT-VA02B or Alum adjuvant. SCTV01A also induced high opsonophagocytic activity (OPA) against S. pneumoniae serotype 14. In addition, SCTV01A stimulated potent neutralizing titers in rhesus macaques and effectively reduced lung inflammation after SARS-CoV-2 infection with neither antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) nor vaccine-enhanced diseases (VED) phenomenon. Importantly, the long-term toxicity study of SCTV01A in rhesus macaques did not cause any abnormal toxicity and was tolerated at the highest tested dose (120 μg). The existing immunogenicity and toxicological evaluation results have demonstrated the safety and efficacy of SCTV01A, which will be a promising and feasible vaccine to protect against SARS-CoV-2 infection. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue COVID Vaccines: Design and Development Strategies)
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13 pages, 2841 KiB  
Article
Development of Bivalent mRNA Vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 Variants
by Jianglong Li, Qi Liu, Jun Liu, Zihui Fang, Liping Luo, Shuang Li, Yixin Lei, Zhi Li, Jing Jin, Ronglin Xie and Yucai Peng
Vaccines 2022, 10(11), 1807; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines10111807 - 26 Oct 2022
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 2800
Abstract
The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has infected billions of individuals and is the cause of the current global coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. We previously developed an mRNA vaccine (LVRNA009) based on the S protein of the Wuhan-Hu-1 strain; the [...] Read more.
The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has infected billions of individuals and is the cause of the current global coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. We previously developed an mRNA vaccine (LVRNA009) based on the S protein of the Wuhan-Hu-1 strain; the phases I and II clinical trials showed that LVRNA009 has a promising safety and immunogenicity profile. In order to counteract the immune escape by SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern, a panel of mRNA vaccines was developed based on the S proteins of the Wuhan-Hu-1, Delta, Omicron BA.1, BA.2, and BA.5 strains, and each vaccine’s protective potency against the virus variants was evaluated. Furthermore, to achieve excellent neutralization against SARS-CoV-2 variants, bivalent vaccines were developed and tested against the variants. We found that the monovalent Wuhan-Hu-1 or the Delta vaccines could induce high level of neutralization antibody and protect animals from the infection of the SARS-CoV-2 Wuhan-Hu-1 or Delta strains, respectively. However, serum samples from mice immunized with monovalent Delta vaccine showed relatively low virus neutralization titers (VNTs) against the pseudotyped virus of the Omicron strains. Serum samples from mice immunized with bivalent Delta/BA.1 vaccine had high VNTs against the pseudotyped Wuhan-Hu-1, Delta, and BA.1 strains but low VNTs against BA.2 and BA.5 (p < 0.05). Serum samples from mice immunized with Delta/BA.2 vaccine had high VNTs against the pseudotyped Wuhan-Hu-1, Delta, BA.1 and BA.2 strains but low VNTs against BA.5. Finally, serum samples from mice immunized with Delta/BA.5 vaccine had high VNTs against all the tested pseudotyped SARS-CoV-2 strains including the Wuhan-Hu-1, Delta, and Omicron variants (p > 0.05). Therefore, a bivalent mRNA vaccine with Delta/BA.5 combination is promising to provide broad spectrum immunity against all VOCs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue COVID Vaccines: Design and Development Strategies)
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14 pages, 2335 KiB  
Article
Immunological Study of Combined Administration of SARS-CoV-2 DNA Vaccine and Inactivated Vaccine
by Ziyan Meng, Danjing Ma, Suqin Duan, Jingjing Zhang, Rong Yue, Xinghang Li, Yang Gao, Xueqi Li, Fengyuan Zeng, Xiangxiong Xu, Guorun Jiang, Yun Liao, Shengtao Fan, Zhenye Niu, Dandan Li, Li Yu, Heng Zhao, Xingli Xu, Lichun Wang, Ying Zhang, Longding Liu and Qihan Liadd Show full author list remove Hide full author list
Vaccines 2022, 10(6), 929; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines10060929 - 10 Jun 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2189
Abstract
Objective: We constructed two DNA vaccines containing the receptor-binding domain (RBD) genes of multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants and used them in combination with inactivated vaccines in a variety of different protocols to explore potential novel immunization strategies against SARS-CoV-2 variants. Methods: Two DNA vaccine [...] Read more.
Objective: We constructed two DNA vaccines containing the receptor-binding domain (RBD) genes of multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants and used them in combination with inactivated vaccines in a variety of different protocols to explore potential novel immunization strategies against SARS-CoV-2 variants. Methods: Two DNA vaccine candidates with different signal peptides (namely, secreted and membrane signal peptides) and RBD protein genes of different SARS-CoV-2 strains (Wuhan-Hu-1, B.1.351, B.1.617.2, C.37) were used. Four different combinations of DNA and inactivated vaccines were tested, namely, Group A: three doses of DNA vaccine; B: three doses of DNA vaccine and one dose of inactivated vaccine; C: two doses of inactivated vaccine and one dose of DNA vaccine; and D: coadministration of DNA and inactivated vaccines in two doses. Subgroups were grouped according to the signal peptide used (subgroup 1 contained secreted signal peptides, and subgroup 2 contained membrane signal peptides). The in vitro expression of the DNA vaccines, the humoral and cellular immunity responses of the immunized mice, the immune cell population changes in local lymph nodes, and proinflammatory cytokine levels in serum samples were evaluated. Results: The antibody responses and cellular immunity in Group A were weak for all SARS-CoV-2 strains; for Group B, there was a great enhancement of neutralizing antibody (Nab) titers against the B.1.617.2 variant strain. Group C showed a significant increase in antibody responses (NAb titers against the Wuhan-Hu-1 strain were 768 and 1154 for Group C1 and Group C2, respectively, versus 576) and cellular immune responses, especially for variant B.1.617.2 (3240 (p < 0.001) and 2430 (p < 0.05) for Group C1 and Group C2, versus 450); Group D showed an improvement in immunogenicity. Group C induced higher levels of multiple cytokines. Conclusion: The DNA vaccine candidates we constructed, administered as boosters, could enhance the humoral and cellular immune responses of inactivated vaccines against COVID-19, especially for B.1.617.2. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue COVID Vaccines: Design and Development Strategies)
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Review

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17 pages, 950 KiB  
Review
The Role of Cellular Immunity in the Protective Efficacy of the SARS-CoV-2 Vaccines
by Zhongjie Sun, Tingxin Wu, Huangfan Xie, Yuhuan Li, Jinlan Zhang, Xuncheng Su and Hailong Qi
Vaccines 2022, 10(7), 1103; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines10071103 - 9 Jul 2022
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 2711
Abstract
Multiple severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccines have been approved for clinical use. SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody titers after immunization are widely used as an evaluation indicator, and the roles of cellular immune responses in the protective efficacy of vaccines are rarely [...] Read more.
Multiple severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccines have been approved for clinical use. SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody titers after immunization are widely used as an evaluation indicator, and the roles of cellular immune responses in the protective efficacy of vaccines are rarely mentioned. However, therapeutic monoclonal neutralizing antibodies have shown limited efficacy in improving the outcomes of hospitalized patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), suggesting a passive role of cellular immunity in SARS-CoV-2 vaccines. The synergistic effect of virus-specific humoral and cellular immune responses helps the host to fight against viral infection. In fact, it has been observed that the early appearance of specific T-cell responses is strongly correlated with mild symptoms of COVID-19 patients and that individuals with pre-existing SARS-CoV-2 nonstructural-protein-specific T cells are more resistant to SARS-CoV-2 infection. These findings suggest the important contribution of the cellular immune response to the fight against SARS-CoV-2 infection and severe COVID-19. Nowadays, new SARS-CoV-2 variants that can escape from the neutralization of antibodies are rapidly increasing. However, the epitopes of these variants recognized by T cells are largely preserved. Paying more attention to cellular immune responses may provide new instructions for designing effective vaccines for the prevention of severe disease induced by the break-through infection of new variants and the sequelae caused by virus latency. In this review, we deliberate on the role of cellular immunity against COVID-19 and summarize recent advances in the development of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines and the immune responses induced by vaccines to improve the design of new vaccines and immunization strategies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue COVID Vaccines: Design and Development Strategies)
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