Tracking Changes in SARS-CoV-2 Spike: Evidence that D614G Increases Infectivity of the COVID-19 Virus.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was first reported in late 2019 in China and is the causative agent of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. To mitigate the effects of the virus on public health, the economy and society, a vaccine is urgently needed. Here I review the development of vaccines against SARS-CoV-2. Development was initiated when the genetic sequence of the virus became available in early January 2020, and has moved at an unprecedented speed: a phase I trial started in March 2020 and there are currently more than 180 vaccines at various stages of development. Data from phase I and phase II trials are already available for several vaccine candidates, and many have moved into phase III trials. The data available so far suggest that effective and safe vaccines might become available within months, rather than years. The development of vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 is reviewed, including an overview of the development process, the different types of vaccine candidate, and data from animal studies as well as phase I and II clinical trials in humans.

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SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in development.

Safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity of a recombinant adenovirus type-5 vectored COVID-19 vaccine: a dose-escalation, open-label, non-randomised, first-in-human trial.

SARS-CoV-2 Vaccines: Status Report.

Coronaviruses (CoVs) have formerly been regarded as relatively harmless respiratory pathogens to humans. However, two outbreaks of severe respiratory tract infection, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), as a result of zoonotic CoVs crossing the species barrier, caused high pathogenicity and mortality rates in human populations. This brought CoVs global attention and highlighted the importance of controlling infectious pathogens at international borders. In this review, we focus on our current understanding of the epidemiology, pathogenesis, prevention, and treatment of SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV, as well as provides details on the pivotal structure and function of the spike proteins (S proteins) on the surface of each of these viruses. For building up more suitable animal models, we compare the current animal models recapitulating pathogenesis and summarize the potential role of host receptors contributing to diverse host affinity in various species. We outline the research still needed to fully elucidate the pathogenic mechanism of these viruses, to construct reproducible animal models, and ultimately develop countermeasures to conquer not only SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV, but also these emerging coronaviral diseases.

/pdf/from-sars-to-mers-thrusting-coronaviruses-into-the-spotlight-4yt0tzjx7o.pdf

From SARS to MERS, Thrusting Coronaviruses into the Spotlight

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is caused by a coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and has the potential to threaten global public health and socioeconomic stability. Evidence of antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) of SARS-CoV infection in vitro and in non-human primates clouds the prospects for a safe vaccine. Using antibodies from SARS patients, we identified and characterized SARS-CoV B-cell peptide epitopes with disparate functions. In rhesus macaques, the spike glycoprotein peptides S471–503, S604–625, and S1164–1191 elicited antibodies that efficiently prevented infection in non-human primates. In contrast, peptide S597–603 induced antibodies that enhanced infection both in vitro and in non-human primates by using an epitope sequence-dependent (ESD) mechanism. This peptide exhibited a high level of serological reactivity (64%), which resulted from the additive responses of two tandem epitopes (S597–603 and S604–625) and a long-term human B-cell memory response with antisera from convalescent SARS patie...

https://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/acsinfecdis.0c00148

Immunodominant SARS Coronavirus Epitopes in Humans Elicited both Enhancing and Neutralizing Effects on Infection in Non-human Primates

Erratum: Immunodominant SARS Coronavirus Epitopes in Humans Elicited Both Enhancing and Neutralizing Effects on Infection in Non-human Primates (ACS Infectious Diseases (2016) 2:5 (361-376) DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.6b00006)

Qidi Wang

Papers

Immunodominant SARS Coronavirus Epitopes in Humans Elicited both Enhancing and Neutralizing Effects on Infection in Non-human Primates

Erratum: Immunodominant SARS Coronavirus Epitopes in Humans Elicited Both Enhancing and Neutralizing Effects on Infection in Non-human Primates (ACS Infectious Diseases (2016) 2:5 (361-376) DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.6b00006)