Neutralizing activity of Sputnik V vaccine sera against SARS-CoV-2 variants

Abstract

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has infected at least 180 million people since its identification as the cause of the current COVID-19 pandemic. The rapid pace of vaccine development has resulted in multiple vaccines already in use worldwide. The contemporaneous emergence of SARS-CoV-2 ‘variants of concern’ (VOC) across diverse geographic locales underscores the need to monitor the efficacy of vaccines being administered globally. All WHO designated VOC carry spike (S) polymorphisms thought to enable escape from neutralizing antibodies. Here, we characterize the neutralizing activity of post-Sputnik V vaccination sera against the ensemble of S mutations present in alpha (B.1.1.7) and beta (B.1.351) VOC. Using de novo generated replication-competent vesicular stomatitis virus expressing various SARS-CoV-2-S in place of VSV-G (rcVSV-CoV2-S), coupled with a clonal 293T-ACE2 + TMPRSS2 + cell line optimized for highly efficient S-mediated infection, we determine that only 1 out of 12 post-vaccination serum samples shows effective neutralization (IC90) of rcVSV-CoV2-S: B.1.351 at full serum strength. The same set of sera efficiently neutralize S from B.1.1.7 and exhibit only moderately reduced activity against S carrying the E484K substitution alone. Taken together, our data suggest that control of some emergent SARS-CoV-2 variants may benefit from updated vaccines.

Controversy surrounding the Sputnik V vaccine

“…A small, independent Argentinean study by Ikegame and colleagues has shed light on this fundamental aspect revealing the worrying possibility that the Beta variant, and to a lesser extent, any variant carrying the E484K substitution may escape the neutralising antibody responses that this immunisation elicits [ 38 , 39 ]. The important information is that 8 out of 12 (67%) serum samples from a cohort of recipients of Sputnik V vaccine showed dose response curve slopes indicative of failure to neutralize Beta variant, but antibodies from people who had received both doses of Sputnik V were effective against the Alpha variant and D614G variant and showed only moderately reduced activity against S carrying the E484K substitution alone.…”

Covid-19: How many variants are there, and what do we know about them?: Video 1

“…Research has shown vaccine efficacy (two doses) against the alpha variant to be 74.5% with the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, 93.7% with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine,2 85.6% with the Novavax vaccine,3 and 100% with the Moderna vaccine 4. A study looking at the Sputnik V vaccine saw some reduced neutralising activity against the alpha variant,5 and Thailand’s Public Health Ministry has reported that two doses of the Sinovac vaccine are 71-91% effective against alpha 6. (Video 1)…”

“…Sputnik V’s maker claims that it is “highly effective” against beta, but at least one study has noted a reduction in neutralising activity against this variant 5. Data on the efficacy of Sinovac’s CoronaVac are lacking, although reports from Hong Kong suggested that the level of protection was 70% lower against beta than against wild-type 9…”

Relevance of immune response and vaccination strategies of SARS-CoV-2 in the phase of viral red queen dynamics

“…In this design, 2P mutations (K986P and V987P) are introduced in spike protein to stabilize it in a prefusion trimeric conformation. Interestingly, vaccines that did not use 2P stabilized spike antigen appear to generate a more variable neutralizing response, which makes it difficult to establish a protective immune response against emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants [ 17 , 18 ].…”