Lessons from SENCOVAC: A prospective study evaluating the response to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in the CKD spectrum

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has negatively impacted on patients of the whole CKD spectrum, causing high rates of morbi-mortality. SARS-CoV-2 vaccines opened a new era, but patients with CKD (including kidney transplant, hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis) were systematically excluded from pivotal clinical trials. The Spanish Society of Nephrology promoted the multicentric national SENCOVAC study aimed at assessing immunological responses after vaccination in patients with CKD. During the first year after vaccination, patients with non-dialysis CKD and those on hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis presented good anti-Spike antibody responses to vaccination, especially after receiving the third and fourth doses. However, kidney transplant recipients presented suboptimal responses after any vaccination schedule (initial, third and fourth dose). Especially worrisome is the situation of a patients with a persistently negative humoral response that do not seroconvert after boosters. In this regard, monoclonal antibodies targeting SARS-CoV-2 have been approved for high-risk patients, although they may become obsolete as the viral genome evolves. The present report reviews the current status of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in the CKD spectrum with emphasis on lessons learned from the SENCOVAC study. Predictors of humoral response, including vaccination schedules and types of vaccines, as well as the integration of vaccines, monoclonal antibodies and antiviral agents are discussed.