CureVac and GSK's Bivalent Second-Generation mRNA Vaccine Candidate Shown to be Highly Effective Against SARS-CoV-2 Variants in Preclinical Study

- Vaccine candidate combining Beta- and Delta-specific mRNAs shows strong protection and immune responses during preclinical challenge study

- Demonstrated neutralizing capacity against the Omicron variant in vaccinated animals

- Technology adaptation for bivalent approach for COVID-19 vaccines potentially allows for broader protection against emerging variants

TÜBINGEN, GERMANY and BOSTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / April 21, 2022 / CureVac N.V. (NASDAQ:CVAC), a global biopharmaceutical company developing a new class of transformative medicines based on messenger ribonucleic acid ("mRNA"), today announced preclinical data demonstrating immune responses and protective efficacy of a bivalent second-generation COVID-19 vaccine candidate jointly developed with GSK, combining two mRNAs encoding for the Beta and the Delta variant.

The preclinical study, conducted in collaboration with the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Germany, assessed the bivalent candidate in comparison to the corresponding monovalent candidates targeting either variant in a mouse model. Despite containing only half the dose per variant-mRNA, the combined Beta/Delta candidate elicited neutralizing antibody titers fully comparable to the monovalent candidates of the respective variant. During exposure of the vaccinated animals to either the Beta or the Delta variant, the bivalent mRNA vaccine significantly reduced the viral load in the animals. High neutralizing antibody titers were accompanied by robust T cell responses. Notably, the bivalent Beta /Delta vaccine candidate induced two-fold higher virus neutralizing antibody titers against the Omicron variant than against the Delta variant in a rat model. This finding provides evidence for a potentially increased breadth of immune responses of the bivalent approach. The full manuscript of the preclinical data is available on the preprint server bioRxiv.

"Since the beginning of the pandemic, new COVID-19 variants have continued to evolve, each characterized by different virulence and transmissibility," said Dr. Igor Splawski, Chief Scientific Officer of CureVac. "New vaccine strategies, such as multivalent approaches, combining several variant-specific mRNAs within one vaccine, can be essential to take control over the COVID-19 virus dynamic and set new standards for broadly effective vaccines against other infectious diseases. Following our recent multivalent approach for influenza, we are now taking advantage of this advanced technology approach in our COVID-19 vaccine program."