Evaluation of the mRNA-1273 Vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 in Nonhuman Primates

The New England Journal of Medicine, 2020

Vaccines to prevent coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) are urgently needed. The effect of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccines on viral replication in both upper and lower airways is important to evaluate in nonhuman primates.

In this study, nonhuman primates received 10 or 100 μg of mRNA-1273, a vaccine encoding the prefusion-stabilized spike protein of SARS-CoV-2, or no vaccine. Antibody and T-cell responses were assessed before upper- and lower-airway challenge with SARS-CoV-2. Active viral replication and viral genomes in bronchoalveolar-lavage (BAL) f luid and nasal swab specimens were assessed by polymerase chain reaction, and histopatho-logical analysis and viral quantification were performed on lung-tissue specimens. Vaccination of nonhuman primates with mRNA-1273 induced robust SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing activity, rapid protection in the upper and lower airways, and no patho-logic changes in the lung. The authors conclude that vaccination of nonhuman primates with mRNA-1273 induced robust SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing activity, rapid protection in the upper and lower airways, and no patho-logic changes in the lung.

SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) nucleocapsid antibody GTX135357, manufactured by our partner GeneTex, was applied in immunohistochemical stainings.