Immunogenicity and efficacy of an mRNA vaccine expressing a virus-like particle spike antigen against SARS-CoV-2

Dec 13, 2025NPJ vaccines

Immune response and protection from an mRNA vaccine using a virus-like spike protein against COVID-19

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Abstract

In animal studies, mRNA- vaccines generated stronger neutralizing antibody responses across multiple variants compared to conventional mRNA vaccines.

  • The novel platform encodes virus-like particle antigens that mimic the structure of the native virus.
  • In non-human primates, elevated antibody levels from mRNA-VLP vaccines persisted for at least six months.
  • An mRNA-VLP vaccine encoding the Omicron spike showed improved performance over traditional mRNA vaccines in mice.
  • In hamsters, low doses of the mRNA-VLP vaccine provided complete protection, similar to high doses of native spike mRNA vaccines.
  • These findings indicate that the mRNA-VLP platform may enhance vaccine efficacy and coverage against changing SARS-CoV-2 variants.

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Key numbers

236 vs. 68
nAb GMT Increase
nAb GMTs for Delta vs. mRNA-native Delta at 196 days post-vaccination.
2 µg
Complete Protection
2 µg of bivalent protected hamsters from weight loss post-infection.
6 months
nAb Durability
Duration of elevated nAb levels in non-human primates post-vaccination.

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