Multi-epitope pan-coronavirus vaccine compositions

Abstract

Multi-epitope, pan-coronavirus recombinant vaccine compositions featuring a combination of highly conserved B cell epitopes, highly conserved CD4+ T cell epitopes, and highly conserved CD8+ T cell epitopes, at least one of which is derived from a non-spike protein. The present invention uses several immuno-informatics and sequence alignment approaches and multiple immunological assays in vitro using human blood and saliva samples from COVID patients and healthy patients to identify several human B cells, CD4+ and CD8+ T cell epitopes that are highly conserved and antigenic in vitro. The Invention also used an in vivo unique mouse model of ACE2/HLA-A0201/HLA-DR triple transgenic mouse model to test the immunogenicity and the protective efficacy against SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-Like symptoms, of the identified B and T cell epitopes and of the resulting multi-epitope-pan-Coronavirus vaccine candidates. The vaccine compositions herein have the potential to provide long-lasting B and T cell immunity regardless of Coronaviruses mutations.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.