Cell Reports
Volume 36, Issue 3, 20 July 2021, 109400
Journal home page for Cell Reports

Article
A single intranasal or intramuscular immunization with chimpanzee adenovirus-vectored SARS-CoV-2 vaccine protects against pneumonia in hamsters

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109400Get rights and content
Under a Creative Commons license
open access

Highlights

  • ChAd-SARS-CoV-2-S protects Syrian hamsters against infection in the respiratory tract

  • Intranasal vaccine delivery provides better protection than intramuscular delivery

  • Intranasal vaccine generates robust neutralizing antibody responses against SARS-CoV-2

  • Vaccine-induced protection is associated with less disease in Syrian hamsters

Summary

The development of an effective vaccine against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the etiologic agent of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), is a global priority. Here, we compare the protective capacity of intranasal and intramuscular delivery of a chimpanzee adenovirus-vectored vaccine encoding a prefusion stabilized spike protein (chimpanzee adenovirus [ChAd]-SARS-CoV-2-S) in Golden Syrian hamsters. Although immunization with ChAd-SARS-CoV-2-S induces robust spike-protein-specific antibodies capable of neutralizing the virus, antibody levels in serum are higher in hamsters vaccinated by an intranasal compared to intramuscular route. Accordingly, against challenge with SARS-CoV-2, ChAd-SARS-CoV-2-S-immunized hamsters are protected against less weight loss and have reduced viral infection in nasal swabs and lungs, and reduced pathology and inflammatory gene expression in the lungs, compared to ChAd-control immunized hamsters. Intranasal immunization with ChAd-SARS-CoV-2-S provides superior protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection and inflammation in the upper respiratory tract. These findings support intranasal administration of the ChAd-SARS-CoV-2-S candidate vaccine to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection, disease, and possibly transmission.

Keywords

SARS-CoV-2
Syrian hamster
intranasal immunization
ChAd vectored vaccine

Cited by (0)

6

Lead contact