Diverse array of neutralizing antibodies elicited upon Spike Ferritin Nanoparticle vaccination in rhesus macaques.
Rajeshwer S SankhalaKerri G LalJaime L JensenVincent DussuptLetzibeth Mendez-RiveraHongjun BaiLindsay WieczorekSandra V MayerMichelle ZemilDanielle A WagnerSamantha M TownsleyAgnes HajduczkiWilliam C ChangWei-Hung ChenGina C DonofrioNingbo JianHannah A D KingCynthia G LorangElizabeth J MartinezPhyllis A ReesCaroline E PetersonFabian SchmidtTricia J HartDebra K DusoLawrence W KummerSean P CaseyJazmean K WilliamsShruthi KannanBonnie M SlikeLauren SmithIsabella SwaffordPaul V ThomasUrsula TranJeffrey R CurrierDiane L BoltonEdgar DavidsonBenjamin J DoranzTheodora HatziioannouPaul D BieniaszDominic Paquin-ProulxWilliam W ReileyMorgane RollandNancy J SullivanSandhya VasanNatalie D CollinsKayvon ModjarradGregory D GromowskiVictoria R PolonisNelson L MichaelShelly J KrebsM Gordon JoycePublished in: Nature communications (2024)
The repeat emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VoC) with decreased susceptibility to vaccine-elicited antibodies highlights the need to develop next-generation vaccine candidates that confer broad protection. Here we describe the antibody response induced by the SARS-CoV-2 Spike Ferritin Nanoparticle (SpFN) vaccine candidate adjuvanted with the Army Liposomal Formulation including QS21 (ALFQ) in non-human primates. By isolating and characterizing several monoclonal antibodies directed against the Spike Receptor Binding Domain (RBD), N-Terminal Domain (NTD), or the S2 Domain, we define the molecular recognition of vaccine-elicited cross-reactive monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) elicited by SpFN. We identify six neutralizing antibodies with broad sarbecovirus cross-reactivity that recapitulate serum polyclonal antibody responses. In particular, RBD mAb WRAIR-5001 binds to the conserved cryptic region with high affinity to sarbecovirus clades 1 and 2, including Omicron variants, while mAb WRAIR-5021 offers complete protection from B.1.617.2 (Delta) in a murine challenge study. Our data further highlight the ability of SpFN vaccination to stimulate cross-reactive B cells targeting conserved regions of the Spike with activity against SARS CoV-1 and SARS-CoV-2 variants.