Recombinant measles virus encoding the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 efficiently induces Th1 responses and neutralizing antibodies that block SARS-CoV-2 variants

Owing to the rapid spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and its vari-ants, the development of effective and safe vaccines has become a priority. The measles virus (MeV) vac-cine is an attractive vaccine platform as it has been administered to children for more than 40 years in over 100 countries. In this study, we developed a recombinant MeV expressing the full-length SARS-CoV-2 spike protein (rMeV-S) and tested its efficacy using mouse and hamster models. In hCD46Tg mice, two-dose rMeV-S vaccination induced higher Th1 secretion and humoral responses than one-dose vacci-nation. Interestingly, neutralizing antibodies induced by one-dose and two-dose rMeV-S immunization effectively blocked the entry of the a, b, c, and d variants of SARS-CoV-2. Furthermore, two-dose rMeV-S immunization provided complete protection against SARS-CoV-2 in the hamster model. These results suggest the potential of rMeV-S as a vaccine candidate for targeting SARS-CoV-2 and its variants.(c) 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

Due to the rapid spread of SARS-CoV-2 and its variants, the development of effective and safe vaccines has become a priority. In this study, a recombinant MeV expressing the full-length SARS-CoV-2 spike protein (rMeV-S) was developed and its efficacy was tested in mouse and hamster models. The results showed that two-dose rMeV-S vaccination induced stronger immune responses compared to one-dose vaccination. Additionally, neutralizing antibodies induced by rMeV-S immunization effectively blocked the entry of different variants of SARS-CoV-2, and two-dose rMeV-S immunization provided complete protection against SARS-CoV-2 in the hamster model.