@article{36565f1af1c84e6ab2221e2f165d109d,
title = "Combining spike- and nucleocapsid-based vaccines improves distal control of SARS-CoV-2",
abstract = "SARS-CoV-2 infection causes respiratory insufficiency and neurological manifestations, including loss of smell and psychiatric disorders, and can be fatal. Most vaccines are based on the spike antigen alone, and although they have shown efficacy at preventing severe disease and death, they do not always confer sterilizing immunity. Here, we interrogate whether SARS-CoV-2 vaccines could be improved by incorporating nucleocapsid as an antigen. We show that, after 72 h of challenge, a spike-based vaccine confers acute protection in the lung, but not in the brain. However, combining a spike-based vaccine with a nucleocapsid-based vaccine confers acute protection in both the lung and brain. These findings suggest that nucleocapsid-specific immunity can improve the distal control of SARS-CoV-2, warranting the inclusion of nucleocapsid in next-generation COVID-19 vaccines.",
keywords = "COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2 vaccines, nucleocapsid antigen, spike antigen",
author = "Tanushree Dangi and Jacob Class and Nicole Palacio and Richner, {Justin M.} and {Penaloza MacMaster}, Pablo",
note = "Funding Information: We thank Drs. Susan Weiss, Stanley Perlman, Thomas Gallagher, David Masopust, and Vaiva Vezys for discussions and reagents. This work was possible with startup funds to J.M.R. a grant from the Emerging and Re-Emerging Pathogens Program (EREPP) at Northwestern University to P.P.M. and a grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA, DP2DA051912) to P.P.M. T.D. and N.P. performed the immunogenicity experiments. J.C. performed the challenge experiments. P.P.M. and J.M.R. designed the experiments and secured the funding. P.P.M. and J.M.R. wrote the paper, with feedback from all of the authors. P.P.M. reports being Task Force Advisor to the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) on SARS-CoV-2 vaccines. P.P.M. is also a member/advisor of the COVID-19 Vaccine Regulatory Science Consortium (CoVAXCEN) at Northwestern University's Institute for Global Health. Funding Information: We thank Drs. Susan Weiss, Stanley Perlman, Thomas Gallagher, David Masopust, and Vaiva Vezys for discussions and reagents. This work was possible with startup funds to J.M.R., a grant from the Emerging and Re-Emerging Pathogens Program (EREPP) at Northwestern University to P.P.M., and a grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA, DP2DA051912 ) to P.P.M. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2021 The Author(s)",
year = "2021",
month = sep,
day = "7",
doi = "10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109664",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "36",
journal = "Cell reports",
issn = "2211-1247",
publisher = "Cell Press",
number = "10",
}
