An adenovirus-inspired vaccine platform to tackle COVID-19 and future pandemics

While mRNA-based vaccine solutions have emerged very quickly to manage the ’COVID-19’ crisis caused by SARS-CoV-2, they have logistical limitations (storage at -20°C, use within 6 hours) that do not allow a large-scale deployment. Moreover, a sterilizing immunity preventing a vaccinated person from transmitting the virus does not exist currently.
The IBS ’Adenovirus and Applications’ team led by Pascal Fender designed a non-infectious particle inspired by adenovirus capable of spontaneously and irreversibly displaying up to 60 copies of a glycosylated SARS-CoV-2 antigen. The structure of these new vaccines was solved by cryo-EM by the team of Guy Schoehn. In collaboration with Dalil Hannani from the TIM-C laboratory, immunizations were performed in mice with these new generation vaccines. The immune characterization by Pascal Poignard’s group showed that the display of antigens on the vaccine platform allowed a total and long-term neutralization of SARS-CoV-2.
The generation and characterization of this new vaccine technology, which can be rapidly adapted to all emerging viruses and therefore to future pandemics, are described in the journal Molecular Therapy.

Elicitation of potent SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody responses through immunization with a versatile adenovirus-inspired multimerization platform. Chevillard C, Amen A, Besson S, Hannani D, Bally I, Dettling V, Gout E, Moreau CJ, Buisson M, Gallet S, Fenel D, Vassal-Stermann E, Schoehn G, Poignard P, Dagher MC, Fender P. Molecular Therapy https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ymthe.2022.02.011.

Contact : Pascal Fender (IBS/Methods and Electron Microscopy Group)