Aging is associated with a decline in immune system functionality. So-called immunosenescence may impair the successful vaccination of elderly people. Thus, improved vaccination strategies also suitable for an aged immune system are required. Modified Vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) is a highly attenuated and replication-deficient vaccinia virus that has been established as a multipurpose viral vector for vaccine development against various infections. We characterized a recombinant MVA expressing a prefusion-stabilized version of SARS-CoV-2 S protein (MVA-ST) in an aged-hamster model for COVID-19. Intramuscular MVA-ST immunization resulted in protection from disease and severe lung pathology. Importantly, this protection was correlated with a potent activation of SARS-CoV-2 specific T-cells and neutralizing antibodies. Our results suggest that MVA vector vaccines merit further evaluation in preclinical models to contribute to future clinical development as candidate vaccines in elderly people to overcome the limitations of age-dependent immunosenescence.
Protective MVA-ST Vaccination Robustly Activates T Cells and Antibodies in an Aged-Hamster Model for COVID-19 / Clever, S; Schünemann, Lm; Armando, F; Natrup, Cmz; Tuchel, T; Tscherne, A; Ciurkiewicz, M; Baumgärtner, W; Sutter, G; Volz, A. - In: VACCINES. - ISSN 2076-393X. - 12:1(2024). [10.3390/vaccines12010052]
Protective MVA-ST Vaccination Robustly Activates T Cells and Antibodies in an Aged-Hamster Model for COVID-19
Armando, F;
2024-01-01
Abstract
Aging is associated with a decline in immune system functionality. So-called immunosenescence may impair the successful vaccination of elderly people. Thus, improved vaccination strategies also suitable for an aged immune system are required. Modified Vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) is a highly attenuated and replication-deficient vaccinia virus that has been established as a multipurpose viral vector for vaccine development against various infections. We characterized a recombinant MVA expressing a prefusion-stabilized version of SARS-CoV-2 S protein (MVA-ST) in an aged-hamster model for COVID-19. Intramuscular MVA-ST immunization resulted in protection from disease and severe lung pathology. Importantly, this protection was correlated with a potent activation of SARS-CoV-2 specific T-cells and neutralizing antibodies. Our results suggest that MVA vector vaccines merit further evaluation in preclinical models to contribute to future clinical development as candidate vaccines in elderly people to overcome the limitations of age-dependent immunosenescence.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
