Evaluation of Simultaneous Production Strategies for Adenoviral Vector-Based SARS-CoV-2 Multivalent Vaccines via an...

Area of Science:

• Vaccinology
• Molecular Biology
• Virology

Background:

• Emerging severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants necessitate multivalent vaccines for broad immunogenicity.
• Accurate quantification of vaccine components is challenging due to sequence similarities among SARS-CoV-2 variants.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish a precise quantification method for multivalent adenoviral vector-based SARS-CoV-2 vaccines.
• To evaluate alternative strategies for simultaneous multivalent vaccine production.

Main Methods:

• Developed an allele-specific competitive blocker polymerase chain reaction (ACB-PCR) assay with variant-specific primers and blockers.
• Investigated coinfection and cotransfection for simultaneous antigen production.

Main Results:

• The ACB-PCR method accurately distinguished closely related SARS-CoV-2 spike protein variants.
• Coinfection and cotransfection strategies maintained antigen composition within ~10% error.

Conclusions:

• A robust molecular quantification tool for multivalent SARS-CoV-2 vaccines was established.
• Efficient coproduction strategies support scalable vaccine manufacturing and rapid response to new variants.