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Vaccines

COVID-19 Vaccine Research Yields Promising Results Against Multiple Variants

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Researchers at Xiamen University have published a study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, detailing the immunogenicity of a bivalent vaccine in rhesus macaques. The vaccine, containing spike proteins from the prototype and chimeric S protein, induced broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs) against multiple variants, including challenging subvariants like EG.1, BA.2.86, and JN.1. The study highlights the potential of bivalent vaccines with monomeric spike proteins to confer broad-spectrum immunity, offering a promising direction for future SARS-CoV-2 universal vaccine design.

Key Takeaways:

  • The bivalent vaccine induced bnAbs against multiple variants, including EG.1, BA.2.86, and JN.1, which are challenging subvariants of SARS-CoV-2.
  • The monomeric spike protein exposed less accessible regions within the receptor-binding domain (RBD) 'inner face' and 'NTD face' and subdomains 1, eliciting a diverse array of bnAbs against various Omicron subvariants.
  • Notably, antibodies targeting the conserved RBD inner face, such as 4A5, showed potent neutralization across all tested variants.
  • Structural analyses provide insights into the broad protectiveness of these vaccine-elicited nAbs.
  • The study underscores the potential of bivalent vaccines with monomeric spike proteins to confer broad-spectrum immunity, offering a promising direction for future SARS-CoV-2 universal vaccine design.
  • The research was conducted by a team of scientists from Xiamen University, led by Hui Sun, and published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Statistics:

  • The vaccine induced broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs) against multiple variants, including challenging subvariants like EG.1, BA.2.86, and JN.1 (Source: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences).
  • The monomeric spike protein exposed less accessible regions within the receptor-binding domain (RBD) 'inner face' and 'NTD face' and subdomains 1, eliciting a diverse array of bnAbs against various Omicron subvariants (Source: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences).
  • The study analyzed the immunogenicity of a bivalent vaccine in rhesus macaques, containing spike proteins from the prototype and chimeric S protein (Source: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences).

Sources:

  • "Broad neutralizing antibody response of a monomeric spike-based SARS-CoV-2 bivalent vaccine against diverse variants." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2025;122(35).
  • NewsRx. Reports from Xiamen University Describe Recent Advances in COVID-19 (Broad neutralizing antibody response of a monomeric spike-based SARS-CoV-2 bivalent vaccine against diverse variants). Vaccine Weekly. September 17, 2025; p 316.

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