mRNA-1273 or mRNA-Omicron boost in vaccinated macaques elicits similar B cell expansion, neutralizing responses, and protection from Omicron

• DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2022.03.038
• Publication Date: 2022-03-25T05:29:04Z
• Authors: Matthew Gagne; Juan I. Moliva; Kathryn E. Foulds; Shayne F. Andrew; Barbara J. Flynn; Anne P. Werner; Danielle A. Wagner; I-Ting Teng; Bob C. Lin; Christopher Moore; Nazaire Jean-Bapt...; Robin Carroll; Stephanie L. Foster; Mit Patel; Madison Ellis; Venkata-Viswanadh...; Nahara Vargas Mal...; Mahnaz Minai; Lauren McCormick; Christopher Cole ...; Bianca M. Nagata; Kevin W. Bock; Caitlyn N.M. Dulan; Jamilet Cordon; Dillon R. Flebbe; John-Paul M. Todd; Elizabeth McCarthy; Laurent Pessaint; Alex Van Ry; Brandon Narvaez; Daniel Valentin; Anthony Cook; Alan Dodson; Katelyn Steingrebe; Saule T. Nurmukha...; Sucheta Godbole; Amy R. Henry; Farida Laboune; Jesmine Roberts-T...; Cynthia G. Lorang; Shivani Amin; Jessica Trost; Mursal Naisan; Manjula Basappa; Jacquelyn Willis; Lingshu Wang; Wei Shi; Nicole A. Doria-Rose; Yi Zhang; Eun Sung Yang; Kwanyee Leung; Sijy O’Dell; Stephen D. Schmidt; Adam S. Olia; Cuiping Liu; Darcy R. Harris; Gwo-Yu Chuang; Guillaume Stewart...; Isabella Renzi; Yen-Ting Lai; Agata Malinowski; Kai Wu; John R. Mascola; Andrea Carfi; Peter D. Kwong; Darin K. Edwards; Mark G. Lewis; Hanne Andersen; Kizzmekia S. Corbett; Martha C. Nason; Adrian B. McDermott; Mehul S. Suthar; Ian N. Moore; Mario Roederer; Nancy J. Sullivan; Daniel C. Douek; Robert A. Seder
• Keywords: 0303 health sciences; 03 medical and health sciences; SARS-CoV-2; Animals; COVID-19; Macaca; RNA, Messenger; Antibodies, Viral; Antibodies, Neutralizing; Article; 2019-nCoV Vaccine mRNA-1273; 3. Good health

SARS-CoV-2 Omicron is highly transmissible and has substantial resistance to neutralization following immunization with ancestral spike-matched vaccines. It is unclear whether boosting with Omicron-matched vaccines would enhance protection. Here, nonhuman primates that received mRNA-1273 at weeks 0 and 4 were boosted at week 41 with mRNA-1273 or mRNA-Omicron. Neutralizing titers against D614G were 4,760 and 270 reciprocal ID50 at week 6 (peak) and week 41 (preboost), respectively, and 320 and 110 for Omicron. 2 weeks after the boost, titers against D614G and Omicron increased to 5,360 and 2,980 for mRNA-1273 boost and 2,670 and 1,930 for mRNA-Omicron, respectively. Similar increases against BA.2 were observed. Following either boost, 70%-80% of spike-specific B cells were cross-reactive against WA1 and Omicron. Equivalent control of virus replication in lower airways was observed following Omicron challenge 1 month after either boost. These data show that mRNA-1273 and mRNA-Omicron elicit comparable immunity and protection shortly after the boost.