Intranasal delivery of replicating mRNA encoding neutralizing antibody against SARS-CoV-2 infection in mice

The lung is the prophylaxis target against SARS-CoV-2 infection, and neutralizing antibodies are a leading class of biological products against various infectious viral pathogen. In this study, we develop a safe and cost-effective platform to express neutralizing antibody in the lung with replicating mRNA basing on alphavirus replicon particle (VRP) delivery system, to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infections. First, a modified VEEV replicon with two subgenomic (sg) promoters was engineered to translate the light and heavy chains of antibody simultaneously, for expression and assembly of neutralizing anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody CB6. Second, the feasibility and protective efficacy of replicating mRNA against SARS-CoV-2 infection were demonstrated through both in vitro and in vivo assays. The lung target delivery with the help of VRP system resulted in efficiently block SARS-CoV-2 infection with reducing viral titer and less tissue damage in the lung of mice. Overall, our data suggests that expressing neutralizing antibodies in the lungs with the help of self-replicating mRNA could potentially be a promising prophylaxis approach against SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Automated summary

The study demonstrated a safe and cost-effective method to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection by expressing neutralizing antibodies in the lungs. Through in vitro and in vivo assays, it was shown that self-replicating mRNA could efficiently block SARS-CoV-2 infection with reduced viral titer and tissue damage in the lung with the help of lung target delivery using the VRP system.