Development of an inactivated vaccine candidate for SARS-CoV-2

TLDR

The global spread of SARS‑CoV‑2 has spurred an urgent race to develop a vaccine. The study aims to advance the vaccine candidate toward human safety and efficacy testing. The team chemically inactivated SARS‑CoV‑2 strains from 11 patients worldwide, then immunized rhesus macaques with two vaccine doses before challenging them with the virus. PiCoVacc protected rhesus macaques, with higher doses eliminating detectable viral loads in pharynx and lungs after 7 days, while lower doses still controlled infection. Gao et al., Science, this issue p.

Abstract

Vaccine candidate tested in monkeys Global spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has led to an urgent race to develop a vaccine. Gao et al. report preclinical results of an early vaccine candidate called PiCoVacc, which protected rhesus macaque monkeys against SARS-CoV-2 infection when analyzed in short-term studies. The researchers obtained multiple SARS-CoV-2 strains from 11 hospitalized patients across the world and then chemically inactivated the harmful properties of the virus. Animals were immunized with one of two vaccine doses and then inoculated with SARS-CoV-2. Those that received the lowest dose showed signs of controlling the infection, and those receiving the highest dose appeared more protected and did not have detectable viral loads in the pharynx or lungs at 7 days after infection. The next steps will be testing for safety and efficacy in humans. Science , this issue p. 77