Olivier, Joey and George, Charlotte and Huang, Chloe Qingzhou and Sujit, Sneha B. and Tonks, Paul and Cantoni, Diego and Grove, Joe and O'Reilly, Laura and Geiger, Johannes and Dohmen, Christian and Mummert, Verena and Samuel, Anne Rosalind and Plank, Christian and Kinsley, Rebecca and Temperton, Nigel and Pfranger, Martina and Wagner, Ralf and Heeney, Jonathan L. and Vishwanath, Sneha and Carnell, George W. (2025) Enhanced variant neutralization through glycan masking of SARS-CoV-2 XBB1.5 RBD. EMERGING MICROBES & INFECTIONS, 14 (1): 2502011. ISSN 2222-1751
Full text not available from this repository. (Request a copy)Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 continues to evolve antigenically under the immune pressure exerted by both natural infection and vaccination. As new variants emerge, we face the recurring challenge of updating vaccines at significant financial cost to maintain their efficacy. To address this, novel strategies are needed to enhance the breadth of protection offered by vaccines or, at a minimum, extend their effectiveness over time. One such strategy is antigen modification. In this study, we introduce a glycosylation site into a binding but non-neutralizing epitope within the SARS-CoV-2 XBB.1.5 receptor binding domain (RBD) to redirect the immune response towards more potent neutralizing epitopes. Immunization of mice with this modified antigen via the mRNA vaccine platform resulted in a dramatic increase in neutralizing antibodies compared to the wild-type XBB.1.5 RBD, showing superior protection against a range of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variants, from BA.2 to JN.1. Our findings reinforce the power of the glycan masking approach, which in combination with the now well-established mRNA vaccine platform can contribute to broader and better vaccines.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | Glycan masking; neutralising antibodies; next generation vaccines; SARS-CoV-2; receptor binding domain |
| Subjects: | 600 Technology > 610 Medical sciences Medicine |
| Divisions: | Medicine > Lehrstuhl für Medizinische Mikrobiologie und Hygiene |
| Depositing User: | Dr. Gernot Deinzer |
| Date Deposited: | 12 May 2026 05:32 |
| Last Modified: | 12 May 2026 05:32 |
| URI: | https://pred.uni-regensburg.de/id/eprint/67092 |
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