Chapter 1: The Promise of a Pancoronavirus Vaccine

Recent advancements in vaccine technology have brought forth a candidate that aims to shield us from multiple coronaviruses, some of which have yet to infect humans. This innovative “pancoronavirus” vaccine has shown promise in monkey trials, suggesting it could eliminate the need for seasonal coronavirus vaccinations.

By Aria Bendix

Current vaccines primarily target the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the cause of the ongoing pandemic. However, the coronavirus family is extensive, and researchers believe that a future vaccine could provide much wider protection.

At the Duke Human Vaccine Institute, a team has been developing a pancoronavirus vaccine designed to defend against various strains within the SARS family, including both SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV-1, the latter responsible for the 2003 outbreak.

In their recent study, the Duke researchers found that their vaccine candidate successfully protected rhesus monkeys from the latest coronavirus variants, as well as SARS and other bat-associated coronaviruses that have not yet crossed into the human population. This finding offers hope, albeit not a guarantee, that the vaccine may also be effective in humans.

“You would have protection not only against current circulating variants but also against potential new SARS-related viruses that could emerge from bat species,” noted Kevin Saunders, the institute's research director, in an interview with Insider.

The aim is to develop a vaccine that could potentially eradicate future coronavirus pandemics.

“If we look at historical patterns, coronavirus outbreaks have occurred roughly every eight to nine years,” Saunders explained. “Our current objective is to determine whether we can create a vaccine that will protect us from the next potential outbreak.”

At a recent White House briefing, Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, emphasized the significance of this research, calling it “an extremely important proof of concept that we will be aggressively pursuing as we get into the development of human trials.”

The Duke team hopes to begin enrolling participants for clinical trials within the next 18 months to two and a half years.

Other groups are also engaged in similar research, with over two dozen pancoronavirus vaccine initiatives currently underway, as reported by Science magazine in April.

This video discusses the potential availability of new COVID-19 vaccines soon, highlighting advancements in vaccine technology and their implications for public health.

Chapter 2: Efficacy Against Variants

Despite the effectiveness of existing COVID-19 vaccines, research indicates that their protection against variants may not be as robust as against the original strain. For instance, studies show that current vaccines might provide less protection against the B.1.351 and P.1 variants, which were first identified in South Africa and Brazil, respectively.

Saunders shared that the pancoronavirus vaccine appears to elicit a stronger antibody response compared to current vaccines against these variants.

In a comparative study, the team found that an mRNA vaccine, similar to those developed by Pfizer and Moderna, produced a sixfold weaker antibody response against the B.1.351 variant and a tenfold weaker response against P.1 compared to the original strain. Conversely, the pancoronavirus vaccine exhibited only a threefold reduction in antibody response against these variants.

“What’s crucial is that the pancoronavirus vaccine starts with a strong antibody response, and only slightly decreases when encountering a variant, unlike the mRNA vaccines that begin with a lower response and face a larger decline,” Saunders remarked.

However, it remains uncertain how the pancoronavirus vaccine will compare to the booster shots being developed by Pfizer and Moderna.

The pancoronavirus vaccine utilizes a different technology than those of Pfizer and Moderna. While the latter instruct the body to produce the coronavirus’s spike protein to trigger an immune response, the pancoronavirus vaccine delivers a fragment of that key spike protein directly into the body.

“The idea was that by generating an immune response to this crucial component, we could limit the virus's ability to invade cells and replicate,” Saunders explained.

Chapter 3: Aiming for Long-Term Immunity

Scientists foresee that COVID-19 will likely persist globally, as not everyone will opt for vaccination, and some regions may take years to achieve sufficient vaccination coverage.

“The prevailing thought is that this virus has disseminated so widely that there will always be a low level of endemic infection,” Saunders stated.

As long as the virus remains in circulation, it can mutate, necessitating periodic booster shots.

An analogy can be drawn with the seasonal flu, which is a descendant of the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic. Influenza viruses mutate rapidly, requiring regular updates to flu vaccines to combat emerging strains. Health officials must predict which strains to include in vaccines almost a year in advance, leading to some mismatches between the shots and circulating strains.

In an optimal year, flu vaccines achieve around 60% effectiveness; however, in subpar years, this can drop to as low as 20%.

The goal of the pancoronavirus vaccine is to offer a solution that contrasts with the current flu vaccination strategy.

“It would not be a seasonal vaccine,” Saunders asserted. “Instead, it would provide long-lasting immunity, meaning once you are vaccinated, you wouldn’t need to return for additional doses as long as your immunity remains above a certain threshold.”

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