Concurrent human antibody and T _H 1 type T-cell responses elicited by a COVID-19 RNA vaccine

Abstract

An effective vaccine is needed to halt the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Recently, we reported safety, tolerability and antibody response data from an ongoing placebo-controlled, observer-blinded phase 1/2 COVID-19 vaccine trial with BNT162b1, a lipid nanoparticle (LNP) formulated nucleoside-modified messenger RNA encoding the receptor binding domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. Here we present antibody and T cell responses after BNT162b1 vaccination from a second, non-randomized open-label phase 1/2 trial in healthy adults, 18-55 years of age. Two doses of 1 to 50 µg of BNT162b1 elicited robust CD4 + and CD8 + T cell responses and strong antibody responses, with RBD-binding IgG concentrations clearly above those in a COVID-19 convalescent human serum panel (HCS). Day 43 SARS-CoV-2 serum neutralising geometric mean titers were 0.7-fold (1 µg) to 3.5-fold (50 µg) those of HCS. Immune sera broadly neutralised pseudoviruses with diverse SARS-CoV-2 spike variants. Most participants had T H 1 skewed T cell immune responses with RBD-specific CD8 + and CD4 + T cell expansion. Interferon (IFN)γ was produced by a high fraction of RBD-specific CD8 + and CD4 + T cells. The robust RBD-specific antibody, T-cell and favourable cytokine responses induced by the BNT162b1 mRNA vaccine suggest multiple beneficial mechanisms with potential to protect against COVID-19.