Trans-amplifying mRNA vaccine delivers broad SARS-CoV-2 variant protection with 40-fold lower dosage
Demonstrating robust immune responses in mice, the npj Vaccines study suggests the platform could transform vaccine development for evolving RNA viruses
Overview
- The new platform splits mRNA into antigen and replicase components to amplify the vaccine payload inside cells
- Researchers designed a consensus spike protein from all known SARS-CoV-2 variants to induce broad neutralizing antibodies without frequent updates
- Preclinical tests in mice showed strong neutralization across multiple variants and over ten-fold lung virus reduction in an Omicron challenge
- Requiring about 40 times less mRNA than conventional vaccines, the approach cuts raw material needs and production costs
- Still untested in humans, the technology could be applied to other rapidly mutating RNA viruses such as avian influenza