A single intranasal dose of a live-attenuated parainfluenza virus-vectored SARS-CoV-2 vaccine is protective in hamsters
Xueqiao Liu, Cindy Luongo, Yumiko Matsuoka, Hong-Su Park, Celia Santos, Lijuan Yang, Ian N. Moore, Sharmin Afroz, Reed F. Johnson, Bernard A. P. Lafont, Craig Martens, Sonja M. Best, Vincent J. Munster, Jaroslav Hollý, Jonathan W. Yewdell, Cyril Le Nouën, Shirin Munir, Ursula J. Buchholz
Abstract
Significance Pediatric SARS-CoV-2 infections, though generally mild, are associated with substantial morbidity and contribute to transmission dynamics. No SARS-CoV-2 vaccines are available for young children. Bovine/human parainfluenza virus 3 (B/HPIV3) vectors for intranasal immunization of children were evaluated previously in phase 1/2 studies and were well-tolerated in children as young as 2 mo of age. This manuscript describes a B/HPIV3 vector expressing a prefusion-stabilized version of the SARS-CoV-2 S protein (S-2P), and shows that a single intranasal dose is highly immunogenic and protective against SARS-CoV-2 challenge in the hamster model, the most robust SARS-CoV-2 challenge model available. Based on these results, B/HPIV3/S-2P represents a promising vaccine candidate for clinical evaluation as a pediatric vaccine for intranasal immunization against HPIV3 and SARS-CoV-2.