Serology assays are essential tools to mitigate the effect of COVID-19, help to identify previous SARS-CoV-2 infections or vaccination, and provide data for surveillance and epidemiologic studies. In this study, we report the production and purification process of the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of SARS-CoV-2 in HEK293 cells, which allowed the design, optimization, and validation of an indirect ELISA (iELISA) for the detection of human anti-RBD antibodies. To find the optimal conditions of this iELISA, a multivariate strategy was performed throughout design of experiments (DoE) and response surface methodology (RSM), one of the main tools of quality by design (QbD) approach. The adoption of this strategy helped to reduce the time and cost during the method development stage and to define an optimum condition within the analyzed design region. The assay was then validated, exhibiting a sensitivity of 94.24 (86.01–98.42%; 95% CI) and a specificity of 95.96% (89.98–98.89%; 95% CI). Besides, the degree of agreement between quality results assessed using kappa’s value was 0.92. Hence, this iELISA represents a high-throughput technique, simple to perform, reliable, and feasible to be scaled up to satisfy the current demands. Since RBD is proposed as the coating antigen, the intended use of this iELISA is not only the detection of previous exposure to the virus, but also the possibility of detecting protective immunity.
Key points
•
RBD was produced in 1-L bioreactor and highly purified.
•
An iELISA assay was optimized applying QbD concepts.
•
The validation procedure demonstrated that this iELISA is accurate and precise.
Graphical Abstract
Supplementary Information
The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00253-022-12254-w.
Spike protein from SARS-CoV-2, the etiologic agent of the COVID-19 pandemic disease, constitutes a structural protein that proved to be the main responsible for neutralizing antibody production. Thus, its sequence is highly considered for the design of candidate vaccines. Animal cell culture represents the best option for the production of subunit vaccines based on recombinant proteins since they introduce post-translational modifications that are important to mimic the natural antigenic epitopes. Particularly, the human cell line HEK293T has been explored and used for the production of biotherapeutics since the products derived from them present human-like post-translational modifications that are important for the protein’s activity and immunogenicity. The aim of this study was to produce and characterize a potential vaccine for COVID-19 based on the spike ectodomain (S-ED) of SARS-CoV-2 and two different adjuvants: aluminum hydroxide (AH) and immune-stimulating complexes (ISCOMs). The S-ED was produced in sHEK293T cells using a 1-L stirred tank bioreactor operated in perfusion mode and purified. S-ED characterization revealed the expected size and morphology. High N-glycan content was confirmed. S-ED-specific binding with the hACE2 (human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2) receptor was verified. The immunogenicity of S-ED was evaluated using AH and ISCOMs. Both formulations demonstrated the presence of anti-RBD antibodies in the plasma of immunized mice, being significantly higher for the latter adjuvant. Also, higher levels of IFN-γ and IL-4 were detected after the ex vivo immune stimulation of spleen-derived MNCs from ISCOMs immunized mice. Further analysis confirmed that S-ED/ISCOMs elicit neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2.
Key points
Trimeric SARS-CoV-2 S-ED was produced in stable recombinant sHEK cells in serum-free medium.
A novel S-ED vaccine formulation induced potent humoral and cellular immunity.
S-ED formulated with ISCOMs adjuvant elicited a highly neutralizing antibody titer.
Supplementary Information
The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00253-023-12520-5.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.