Third dose of COVID-19 vaccine, CVnCoV, increased neutralizing activity against SARS-CoV-2 wild-type and Delta variant

Abstract

A third dose of CVnCoV, a former candidate mRNA vaccine against SARS-CoV-2, was previously shown to boost neutralizing antibody responses against SARS-CoV-2 wild-type in adults aged 18-60 and >60 years in a phase 2a clinical study. Here we report neutralizing antibody responses to wild-type and a variant of concern, Delta, after a third dose on day (D) 57 and D180. Neutralization activity was assessed using a microneutralization assay. Comparable levels of neutralizing antibodies against wild-type and Delta were induced. These were higher than those observed after the first two doses, irrespective of age or pre- SARS-CoV-2-exposure status, indicating that the first two doses induced immune memory. Four weeks after the third dose on D180, neutralizing titers for wild-type and Delta were two-fold higher in younger participants than in older participants; seroconversion rates were 100% for wild-type and Delta in the younger group and for Delta in the older group. A third CVnCoV dose induced similar levels of neutralizing responses against wild-type virus and the Delta variant in both naive and pre-exposed participants, aligning with current knowledge from licensed COVID-19 vaccines that a third dose is beneficial against SARS-CoV-2 variants.