Intranasal vaccination of hamsters with a Newcastle disease virus vector expressing the S1 subunit protects animals against SARS-CoV-2 disease
Authors: Díaz Manolo Fernández , Calderón Katherine , Rojas-Neyra Aldo , Vakharia Vikram N. , Choque-Guevara Ricardo , Montalvan-Avalos Angela , Poma-Acevedo Astrid , Rios-Matos Dora , Agurto-Arteaga Andres , Cauti-Mendoza Maria de Grecia , Perez-Martinez Norma , Isasi-Rivas Gisela , Tataje-Lavanda Luis , Sernaque-Aguilar Yacory , Ygnacio Freddy , Criollo-Orozco Manuel , Huaccachi-Gonzalez Edison , Delgado-Ccancce Elmer , Villanueva-Pérez Doris , Montesinos-Millán Ricardo , Gutiérrez-Manchay Kristel , Pauyac-Antezana Katherinne , Ramirez-Ortiz Ingrid , Quiñones-Garcia Stefany , Cauna-Orocollo Yudith , Vallejos-Sánchez Katherine , Rios-Angulo Angela , Núñez-Fernández Dennis , Salguedo-Bohorquez Mario I. , Ticona Julio , Fernández-Sánchez Manolo , Icochea Eliana , Guevara-Sarmiento Luis A. , Zimic Mirko ,   COVID-19 Working Group in Perú, Agurto-Arteaga Andres , Antiparra Ricardo , Ardiles-Reyes Manuel , Calderón Katherine , Cauna-Orocollo Yudith , Cauti-Mendoza Maria de Grecia , Chipana-Flores Naer , Choque-Guevara Ricardo , Chunga-Girón Xiomara , Criollo-Orozco Manuel , De La Cruz Lewis , Delgado-Ccancce Elmer , Delgado-Pease Nicolás E. , Elugo-Guevara Christian , Fernández-Díaz Manolo , Sánchez Manolo Fernández- , Guevara-Sarmiento Luis A. , Gutiérrez-Manchay Kristel , Heredia-Almeyda Oscar , Gonzalez Edison Huaccachi , Huerta-Roque Pedro , Icochea Eliana , Isasi-Rivas Gisela , Jiménez-Avalos Gabriel , Juscamaita-Bartra Romina A. , Licla-Inca Abraham , Montalvan-Avalos Angela , Montesinos-Millán Ricardo , Núñez-Fernández Dennis , Ochoa-Ortiz Adiana , Olivos-Ramirez Gustavo E. , Páucar-Montoro Erika , Pauyac-Antezana Katherinne , Perez-Martinez Jose L. , Perez-Martinez Norma , Poma-Acevedo Astrid , Quiñones-Garcia Stefany , Ramirez-Ortiz Ingrid , Ramos-Sono Daniel , Rios-Angulo Angela , Rios-Matos Dora , Rojas-Neyra Aldo , Romero Yomara K. , Salguedo-Bohorquez Mario I. , Sernaque-Aguilar Yacory , Sheen Patricia , Soto Luis F. , Tataje-Lavanda Luis , Ticona Julio , Vakharia Vikram N. , Vallejos-Sánchez Katherine , Vargas-Ruiz A. Paula , Villanueva-Pérez Doris , Villena Renzo G. , Ygnacio Freddy , Zimic Mirko 
Published: June 2022

The coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic has already claimed millions of lives and remains one of the major catastrophes in the recorded history. While mitigation and control strategies provide short term solutions, vaccines play critical roles in long term control of the disease. Recent emergence of potentially vaccine-resistant and novel variants necessitated testing and deployment of novel technologies that are safe, effective, stable, easy to administer, and inexpensive to produce. Here we developed three recombinant Newcastle disease virus (rNDV) vectored vaccines and assessed their immunogenicity, safety, and protective efficacy against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in mice and hamsters. Intranasal administration of rNDV-based vaccine candidates elicited high levels of neutralizing antibodies. Importantly, the nasally administrated vaccine prevented lung damage, and significantly reduced viral load in the respiratory tract of vaccinated animal which was compounded by profound humoral immune responses. Taken together, the presented NDV-based vaccine candidates fully protected animals against SARS-CoV-2 challenge and warrants evaluation in a Phase I human clinical trial as a promising tool in the fight against COVID-19.