Abstract

The novel SARS-CoV-2 is the cause of the coronavirus (CoV) disease (COVID-19) outbreak that currently pose a serious pandemic threat to public health. A safe vaccine that rapidly induces long-lasting virus-specific immune responses is urgently needed. The CoV spike (S) protein, a characteristic structural component of the viral envelope, is considered a key target for vaccines against CoV infection, as we and others have previously demonstrated for severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and middle east respiratory syndrome (MERS) CoV infections. The safety profile of non-infectious recombinant protein subunit vaccines makes them suitable for SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidates for preclinical testing. To develop a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, we constructed SARS-CoV-2-S1 subunit constructs and established an intracutaneous delivery platform using a novel, dissolving microneedle array (MNA) that enhances the immunogenicity of these subunit vaccines in mice, as determined by S1 specific viral titers in serum. Here, we propose to evaluate this PittCoVacc vaccine in a phase I clinical trial through a single specific aim designed to complete ongoing IND enabling studies, any additional parallel studies recommended by the FDA, and then to conduct a Phase 1 clinical trial in healthy volunteers.

Public Health Relevance

The novel coronavirus, previously dubbed 2019-nCoV, and now officially named SARS-CoV-2 which caused the corona virus disease (COVID-19) pandemic outbreak and was first detected in Wuhan, China in December 2019. Safe vaccines that rapidly induce long-lasting virus-specific immune responses are urgently needed. We have recently established that intracutaneous delivery using a novel, dissolving microneedle array the SARS-CoV-2 Spike 1 subunit vaccine (PittCoVacc) is immunogenic in a murine mouse model. Here, we propose to evaluate the PittCoVacc vaccine in an investigator-initiated phase I clinical trial. This research project will provide critically important information on the safety and immunogenicity of the PittCoVacc.

  Funding Agency

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
Type
Research Project with Complex Structure Cooperative Agreement (UM1)
Project #
3UM1AI106701-07S2
Application #
10147381
Study Section
Program Officer
Livnat, Daniella
Project Start
2020-07-15
Project End
2020-11-30
Budget Start
2020-07-15
Budget End
2020-11-30
Support Year
7
Fiscal Year
2020
Total Cost
Indirect Cost

  Institution

Name
University of California Los Angeles
Department
Pediatrics
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
092530369
City
Los Angeles
State
CA
Country
United States
Zip Code
90095

  Publications

Murthy, S E; Chatterjee, F; Crook, A et al. (2018) Pretreatment chest x-ray severity and its relation to bacterial burden in smear positive pulmonary tuberculosis. BMC Med 16:73
Podany, Anthony T; Bares, Sara H; Havens, Joshua et al. (2018) Plasma and intracellular pharmacokinetics of tenofovir in patients switched from tenofovir disoproxil fumarate to tenofovir alafenamide. AIDS 32:761-765
Tweed, Conor Duncan; Wills, Genevieve Helen; Crook, Angela M et al. (2018) Liver toxicity associated with tuberculosis chemotherapy in the REMoxTB study. BMC Med 16:46
Shive, Carey L; Judge, Chelsey J; Clagett, Brian et al. (2018) Pre-vaccine plasma levels of soluble inflammatory indices negatively predict responses to HAV, HBV, and tetanus vaccines in HCV and HIV infection. Vaccine 36:453-460
Cespedes, Michelle S; Kang, Minhee; Kojic, Erna Milunka et al. (2018) Anogenital human papillomavirus virus DNA and sustained response to the quadrivalent HPV vaccine in women living with HIV-1. Papillomavirus Res 6:15-21
Court, R; Wiesner, L; Stewart, A et al. (2018) Steady state pharmacokinetics of cycloserine in patients on terizidone for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. Int J Tuberc Lung Dis 22:30-33
Carlton-Smith, C; Holmes, J A; Naggie, S et al. (2018) IFN-free therapy is associated with restoration of type I IFN response in HIV-1 patients with acute HCV infection who achieve SVR. J Viral Hepat 25:465-472
Strongin, Zachary; Sharaf, Radwa; VanBelzen, D Jake et al. (2018) Effect of Short-Term Antiretroviral Therapy Interruption on Levels of Integrated HIV DNA. J Virol 92:
Gandhi, Monica; Ofokotun, Igho; Bacchetti, Peter et al. (2018) Antiretroviral concentrations in hair strongly predict virologic response in a large HIV treatment-naive clinical trial. Clin Infect Dis :
Shivakoti, Rupak; Gupte, Nikhil; Tripathy, Srikanth et al. (2018) Inflammation and micronutrient biomarkers predict clinical HIV treatment failure and incident active TB in HIV-infected adults: a case-control study. BMC Med 16:161

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