Vaccines against coronavirus and methods of use

An expression vector comprising a nucleic acid molecule encoding a Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike antigen, the nucleic acid molecule comprising:

• a nucleic acid sequence having at least about 99% identity to the nucleic acid sequence set forth from nucleotide 55 to nucleotide 3837 of SEQ ID NO:
• 5,
• a nucleic acid sequence having at least about 99% identity to the nucleic acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:
• 5,
• the nucleic acid sequence from nucleotide 55 to nucleotide 3837 of SEQ ID NO:
• 5, or
• the nucleic acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:
• 5.

An immunogenic composition comprising an effective amount of an expression vector and a pharmaceutically acceptable excipient, wherein the expression vector comprises a nucleic acid molecule encoding a Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike antigen, the nucleic acid molecule comprising:

• a nucleic acid sequence having at least about 99% identity to the nucleic acid sequence set forth from nucleotide 55 to nucleotide 3837 of SEQ ID NO:
• 5,
• a nucleic acid sequence having at least about 99% identity to the nucleic acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:
• 5,
• the nucleic acid sequence from nucleotide 55 to nucleotide 3837 of SEQ ID NO:
• 5, or
• the nucleic acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:
• 5.

A method of inducing an immune response against Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in a subject in need thereof, the method comprising administering an effective amount of an immunogenic composition to the subject, wherein the immunogenic composition comprises an expression vector comprising a nucleic acid molecule encoding a SARS-CoV-2 spike antigen, the nucleic acid molecule comprising:

• a nucleic acid sequence having at least about 99% identity to the nucleic acid sequence set forth from nucleotide 55 to nucleotide 3837 of SEQ ID NO:
• 5,
• a nucleic acid sequence having at least about 99% identity to the nucleic acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:
• 5,
• the nucleic acid sequence from nucleotide 55 to nucleotide 3837 of SEQ ID NO:
• 5, or
• the nucleic acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:
• 5,
• and a pharmaceutically acceptable excipient.

A method of detecting a persistent cellular immune response in a subject, the method comprising the steps of:

• administering an immunogenic composition for inducing an immune response against a SARS-CoV-2 antigen to a subject in need thereof;
• isolating peripheral mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from the subject;
• stimulating the isolated PBMCs with a SARS-CoV-2 spike antigen comprising an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of an amino acid sequence having at least about 90% identity over an entire length of residues 19 to 1279 of SEQ ID NO:
• 1, the amino acid sequence set forth in residues 19 to 1279 of SEQ ID NO:
• 1, an amino acid sequence having at least about 90% identity over an entire length of SEQ ID NO:
• 1, the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:
• 1, an amino acid sequence having at least about 90% identity over an entire length of residues 19 to 1279 of SEQ ID NO:
• 4, an amino acid sequence having at least about 90% identity over an entire length of SEQ ID NO:
• 4, the amino acid sequence set forth in residues 19 to 1279 of SEQ ID NO:
• 4, the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:
• 4, and a fragment thereof comprising at least 20 amino acids;
• and
• detecting at least one of the number of cytokine expressing cells and the level of cytokine expression.