Research Progress on a SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine in China

Although many countries have controlled the pandemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) through strict management, there are still many countries with record-breaking numbers of new cases. Therefore, it is very important to develop a vaccine that can cause wide cross reactivity in clinical trials. At present, more than 90 vaccines are entering clinical trials and progressing smoothly, including inactivated vaccines, adenovirus-vectored vaccines and other types of vaccines. Here, we review and summarize the efficacy and potential threats of a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. We reviewed whole-virus vaccines, adenovirus-subunit vaccines and recombinant protein vaccines and discussed the positive and negative consequences of a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. However, there are still heated debates on the mechanism, effectiveness, and breadth of protection. In conclusion, this study can predict the risk of new coronavirus outbreaks in the future by discussing the research and development status of new coronavirus vaccines in China and other countries. Looking to the future, it is important to mine the large amount of data generated in clinical trials of universal new coronavirus vaccines to ensure that these vaccine programs are equally useful in the face of new coronavirus mutations.

Active immunotherapy of allergic asthma with a recombinant human interleukin-5 protein as vaccine in a murine model

Background Eosinophils are highly related to allergic asthma inflammation. Interleukin （IL）-5 is the major chemokine of eosinophils, inhibition of the activity of IL-5 thus seems to be a potential approach to asthma therapy. The current study was performed to determine whether a recombinant human IL-5 protein as a xenogeneic vaccine has the capability of inducing anti-asthma activities. Methods Recombinant human IL-5 was used as a protein vaccine. Mouse asthma model was established to observe the anti-asthma activities. Lung histology was observed; eosinophils in blood and bronchoalveolar lavage were stained and counted, Airway hyperresponsiveness was determined by whole body plethysmograph. Antibody characters and cytokines were detected with enzyme linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） and Western blot assay. Results Vaccination with recombinant human IL-5 protein as vaccine significantly reduced airway inflammation and airway hyperresponsiveness, and shifted the cytokine production from Th2 （IL-4） to Thl （INF-γ） in mice allergic-asthma model. Immunization with recombinant human IL-5 protein vaccine bypassed the immunological tolerance and induced production of polyclonal antibodies that were cross-reactive with murine IL-5. Conclusions Active immunization with xenogeneic homologous IL-5 may be a possible therapeutic approach to the treatment of asthma and potentially of other eosinophilic disorders.

Immunogenicity and safety of a recombinant fusion protein vaccine(V-01)against coronavirus disease 2019 in healthy adults:a randomized,double-blind,placebo-controlled,phaseⅡtrial

Background:Innovative coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)vaccines,with elevated global manufacturing capacity,enhanced safety and efficacy,simplified dosing regimens,and distribution that is less cold chain-dependent,are still global imperatives for tackling the ongoing pandemic.A previous phase I trial indicated that the recombinant COVID-19 vaccine(V-01),which contains a fusion protein(IFN-PADRE-RBD-Fc dimer)as its antigen,is safe and well tolerated,capable of inducing rapid and robust immune responses,and warranted further testing in additional clinical trials.Herein,we aimed to assess the immunogenicity and safety of V-01,providing rationales of appropriate dose regimen for further efficacy study.Methods:A randomized,double-blind,placebo-controlled phaseⅡclinical trial was initiated at the Gaozhou Municipal Centre for Disease Control and Prevention(Guangdong,China)in March 2021.Both younger(n=440;18–59 years of age)and older(n=440;≥60 years of age)adult participants in this trial were sequentially recruited into two distinct groups:two-dose regimen group in which participants were randomized either to follow a 10 or 25 mg of V-01 or placebo given intramuscularly 21 days apart(allocation ratio,3:3:1,n=120,120,40 for each regimen,respectively),or one-dose regimen groups in which participants were randomized either to receive a single injection of 50 mg of V-01 or placebo(allocation ratio,3:1,n=120,40,respectively).The primary immunogenicity endpoints were the geometric mean titers of neutralizing antibodies against live severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2,and specific binding antibodies to the receptor binding domain(RBD).The primary safety endpoint evaluation was the frequencies and percentages of overall adverse events(AEs)within 30 days after full immunization.Results:V-01 provoked substantial immune responses in the two-dose group,achieving encouragingly high titers of neutralizing antibody and anti-RBDimmunoglobulin,which peaked at day 35(161.9[95%confidence interval[CI]:133.3–196.7]and 149.3[95%CI:123.9–179.9]in 10 and 25 mg V-01 group of younger adults,respectively;111.6[95%CI:89.6–139.1]and 111.1[95%CI:89.2–138.4]in 10 and 25 mg V-01 group of older adults,respectively),and remained high at day 49 after a day-21 second dose;these levels significantly exceed those in convalescent serum from symptomatic COVID-19 patients(53.6,95%CI:31.3–91.7).Our preliminary data showthat V-01 is safe andwell tolerated,with reactogenicity predominantly being absent or mild in severity and only one vaccinerelated grade 3 or worse AE being observed within 30 days.The older adult participants demonstrated a more favorable safety profile compared with those in the younger adult group:with AEs percentages of 19.2%,25.8%,17.5%in older adults vs.34.2%,23.3%,26.7%in younger adults at the 10,25 mg V-01 two-dose group,and 50 mg V-01 one-dose group,respectively.Conclusions:The vaccine candidate V-01 appears to be safe and immunogenic.The preliminary findings support the advancement of the two-dose,10 mg V-01 regimen to a phaseⅢtrial for a large-scale population-based evaluation of safety and efficacy.

Protective immunity of orange-spotted grouper(Epinephelus coioids) against a nervous necrosis virus isolated from China,and determination of the complete sequences of the virus

On the basis of the sequence and analysis of genome from the orange-spotted nervous necrosis virus（ OGNNV）, China strain, a pair of special primers were designed according to the nucleotide sequences of RNA2 from OGNNV. The major capsid protein （ MCP）gene of OGNNV was cloned by means of reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction （RT-PCR） and ligated into the pET32a expression plasmid. The MCP gene of OGNNV was 1 017 bases, encoded a protein of 338 amino acid with a molecular mass of 37.1 kDa. Recombinant protein with a molecular mass of 57.4 kDa was expressed in E. coli BL21 （DE3）. Vaccine was prepared from the recombinant protein expressed in recombinant cells. The juvenile orange-spotted groupers （8 cm in average length） were immunized by intraperitoneal injection. Group A was challenged with infected tissue filtrates 25 d post-vaccination. The mortality in the vaccined group （ A1,30% ） was a little higher than the unvaccined group （ B2, 27.8% ）. Group B was challenged after three vaccine injections. The mortality in the vaccined group （B1, 16.7% ） was lower than the unvaccined group （132, 27.8% ）, And the relative percentage survival （RPS） value of vaccined group, compared with the unvaccined group, was 40%. The anti-recombinant protein sera with a 1 ： 100 dilution were mixed with double volume of infected tissue filtrates and incubated at 4 ℃ for 12 h and then intramuscularly injected into the juvenile orange-spotted grouper. Treatment of infected tissue filtrates with anti-recombinant protein serum resulted in a significantly lower mortality of fish （ Group C1, mortality of 18.18% ）, compared with the fish （ Group C2, mortality of 40% ） which received infected tissue filtrates treated with control serum. Results implied the potential use of the capsid protein in immunization against OGNNV.