High-stability, clamp-free soluble Sarbecovirus spike trimers and their potential for pan-Sarbecovirus vaccine development.

Abstract

Broadly effective vaccines are needed to protect against future pandemics caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS CoV)-like coronaviruses (sarbecoviruses). The development of simple trimeric subunit vaccines based on the Sarbecovirus spike (S) has proven problematic due to the unstable nature of the S trimer. Here we developed clamp-free, highly stable soluble S trimers by truncating the stem helix to maximize yield and covalently linking the 3 monomers via engineered disulfides to increase thermostability. In K18hACE2 mice, covalently linked SARS CoV-2 S trimers elicited >10-fold higher neutralizing antibody (NAb) titres than parental unlinked trimers and protected the mice against viral challenge. A trivalent vaccine formulation comprised of covalently stabilized spikes derived from 3 divergent ACE2-using Sarbecovirus clades elicited broad and potent neutralizing activity in mice. The covalently linked S trimers were stable at 37{degrees}C for 112 days and remained intact following lyophilization and storage at ambient temperature for 6 months. This study establishes a framework for producing simple and stable highly immunogenic pan-Sarbecovirus S subunit vaccines that can be stored and distributed in the absence of a cold chain.