Preclinical Evaluation of a Newcastle Disease Virus-Vectored Intranasal SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has claimed the lives of millions of people. Vaccination is a critical tool for the control of transmission; however, the recent emergence of potentially vaccine-resistant variants renders it important to have a range of vaccines types. It is desirable that vaccines are safe, effective, easy to administer and store, and inexpensive to produce. Newcastle disease virus (NDV), responsible for respiratory disease in chickens, has no pathogenic homologue in humans. We developed two types of NDV-vectored candidate vaccines, and evaluated them in a SARS-CoV-2 challenge in hamsters. Vaccinations resulted in generation of neutralizing antibodies, prevented lung damage, and reduced viral load and viability. In conclusion, our NDV-based vaccine candidate performed well in a SARS-CoV-2 challenge and warrants evaluation in a Phase I human clinical trial. This candidate represents a promising tool in the fight against COVID-19.