The ChAdOx1 vectored vaccine, AZD2816, induces strong immunogenicity against SARS-CoV-2 Beta (B.1.351) and other variants of concern in preclinical studies
Spencer AJ., Morris S., Ulaszewska M., Powers C., Kailath R., Bissett C., Truby A., Thakur N., Newman J., Allen ER., Rudiansyah I., Liu C., Dejnirattisai W., Mongkolsapaya J., Davies H., Donnellan FR., Pulido D., Peacock TP., Barclay WS., Bright H., Ren K., Screaton G., McTamney P., Bailey D., Gilbert SC., Lambe T.
AbstractThere is an ongoing global effort to design, manufacture, and clinically assess vaccines against SARS-CoV-2. Over the course of the ongoing pandemic a number of new SARS-CoV-2 virus isolates or variants of concern (VoC) have been identified containing mutations in key proteins. In this study we describe the generation and preclinical assessment of a ChAdOx1-vectored vaccine (AZD2816) which expresses the spike protein of the Beta VoC (B.1.351). We demonstrate that AZD2816 is immunogenic after a single dose. When AZD2816 is used as a booster dose in animals primed with a vaccine encoding the original spike protein (ChAdOx1 nCoV-19/ [AZD1222]), high titre binding and neutralising antibodies against Beta (B.1.351), Gamma (P.1) and Delta (B.1.617.2) are induced. In addition, a strong and polyfunctional T cell response was measured in these booster regimens. These data support the ongoing clinical development and testing of this new variant vaccine.