ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 protection against SARS-CoV-2 in rhesus macaque and ferret challenge models.
Lambe T., Spencer AJ., Thomas KM., Gooch KE., Thomas S., White AD., Humphries HE., Wright D., Belij-Rammerstorfer S., Thakur N., Conceicao C., Watson R., Alden L., Allen L., Aram M., Bewley KR., Brunt E., Brown P., Cavell BE., Cobb R., Fotheringham SA., Gilbride C., Harris DJ., Ho CMK., Hunter L., Kennard CL., Leung S., Lucas V., Ngabo D., Ryan KA., Sharpe H., Sarfas C., Sibley L., Slack GS., Ulaszewska M., Wand N., Wiblin NR., Gleeson FV., Bailey D., Sharpe S., Charlton S., Salguero FJ., Carroll MW., Gilbert SC.
Vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 are urgently required, but early development of vaccines against SARS-CoV-1 resulted in enhanced disease after vaccination. Careful assessment of this phenomena is warranted for vaccine development against SARS CoV-2. Here we report detailed immune profiling after ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (AZD1222) and subsequent high dose challenge in two animal models of SARS-CoV-2 mediated disease. We demonstrate in rhesus macaques the lung pathology caused by SARS-CoV-2 mediated pneumonia is reduced by prior vaccination with ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 which induced neutralising antibody responses after a single intramuscular administration. In a second animal model, ferrets, ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 reduced both virus shedding and lung pathology. Antibody titre were boosted by a second dose. Data from these challenge models on the absence of enhanced disease and the detailed immune profiling, support the continued clinical evaluation of ChAdOx1 nCoV-19.