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Department of Pharmacology

 
Author(s): 
Cohen, AA, Gnanapragasam, PNP, Lee, YE, Hoffman, PR, Ou, S, Kakutani, LM, Keeffe, JR, Wu, H-J, Howarth, M, West, AP, Barnes, CO, Nussenzweig, MC, Bjorkman, PJ
Abstract: 

Protection against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and SARS-related emergent zoonotic coronaviruses is urgently needed. We made homotypic nanoparticles displaying the receptor binding domain (RBD) of SARS-CoV-2 or co-displaying SARS-CoV-2 RBD along with RBDs from animal betacoronaviruses that represent threats to humans (mosaic nanoparticles with four to eight distinct RBDs). Mice immunized with RBD nanoparticles, but not soluble antigen, elicited cross-reactive binding and neutralization responses. Mosaic RBD nanoparticles elicited antibodies with superior cross-reactive recognition of heterologous RBDs relative to sera from immunizations with homotypic SARS-CoV-2-RBD nanoparticles or COVID-19 convalescent human plasmas. Moreover, after priming, sera from mosaic RBD-immunized mice neutralized heterologous pseudotyped coronaviruses as well as or better than sera from homotypic SARS-CoV-2-RBD nanoparticle immunizations, demonstrating no loss of immunogenicity against particular RBDs resulting from co-display. A single immunization with mosaic RBD nanoparticles provides a potential strategy to simultaneously protect against SARS-CoV-2 and emerging zoonotic coronaviruses.

Publication ID: 
1468690
Published date: 
12 February 2021
Publication source: 
pubmed
Publication type: 
Journal articles
Journal name: 
Science
Publication volume: 
371
Publisher: 
Parent title: 
Edition: 
Publication number: