# Self-amplifying RNA SARS-CoV-2 lipid nanoparticle vaccine candidate induces high neutralizing antibody titers in mice

Article · McKay PF, Hu K, Blakney AK, Samnuan K, Brown JC, Penn R, Zhou J, Bouton CR, Rogers P, Polra K, Lin PJC, Barbosa C, Tam YK, Barclay WS, Shattock RJ

- Archive id: doi:10.1038/s41467-020-17409-9
- Published: 2020-07-09
- Venue: Nature communications
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-17409-9
- PMID: 32647131
- PMCID: PMC7347890
- Citations: 378
- Source URL: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-17409-9
- PDF: https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC7347890/pdf
- Provenance: europepmc

## Abstract

The spread of the SARS-CoV-2 into a global pandemic within a few months of onset motivates the development of a rapidly scalable vaccine. Here, we present a self-amplifying RNA encoding the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein encapsulated within a lipid nanoparticle (LNP) as a vaccine. We observe remarkably high and dose-dependent SARS-CoV-2 specific antibody titers in mouse sera, as well as robust neutralization of both a pseudo-virus and wild-type virus. Upon further characterization we find that the neutralization is proportional to the quantity of specific IgG and of higher magnitude than recovered COVID-19 patients. saRNA LNP immunizations induce a Th1-biased response in mice, and there is no antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) observed. Finally, we observe high cellular responses, as characterized by IFN-γ production, upon re-stimulation with SARS-CoV-2 peptides. These data provide insight into the vaccine design and evaluation of immunogenicity to enable rapid translation to the clinic.

_Abstract reproduced under CC-BY (article license as recorded by Europe PMC; abstract reproduced unmodified apart from markup removal)._

Topics: [mRNA Therapeutics & Cancer Vaccines](https://space-kitty.com/topics/mrna-cancer-vaccines)

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