COVID roundup: CureVac says low-dose bivalent vaccine effective in mice
Plus updates from Clover, Selva and ImmunoPrecise Antibodies
CureVac N.V. (NASDAQ:CVAC) said its bivalent mRNA vaccine against the Beta and Delta variants, which it is jointly developing with GlaxoSmithKline plc (LSE:GSK; NYSE:GSK), elicited neutralizing antibody titers in mouse models that were comparable to the separate monovalent versions, even with the components of the bivalent vaccine given at half the dose of the monovalent versions. The bivalent vaccine also induced T cell responses and reduced viral load in the animals. In a rat model, the vaccine elicited higher neutralizing antibody titers against the Omicron variant than against the Delta variant, suggesting a wide breadth of coverage. Results were published in bioRxiv.
Additional data from the Phase II/III SPECTRA trial of SCB-2019 from Clover Biopharmaceuticals Ltd. (HKEX:2197) showed that the S-trimer antigen vaccine provided 94% cumulative protective effect against COVID-19 in previously infected participants. The vaccine is being developed with CpG 1018 adjuvant from Dynavax Technologies Corp. (NASDAQ:DVAX) and aluminium hydroxide. The results of the trial are now published in Lancet Infectious Diseases...