ArticleEClinicalMedicine2022
Safety and immunogenicity of a self-amplifying RNA vaccine against COVID-19: COVAC1, a phase I, dose-ranging trial.
Article in EClinicalMedicine, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 104 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
104 citing papers in PubMed, 152 citations in OpenAlex.
- Safety and immunogenicity of an optimized self-replicating RNA platform for low dose or single dose vaccine applications: a randomized, open label Phase I study in healthy volunteers.Nature communications · 2025Trial
- Safety, immunogenicity and efficacy of the self-amplifying mRNA ARCT-154 COVID-19 vaccine: pooled phase 1, 2, 3a and 3b randomized, controlled trials.Nature communications · 2024Trial
- Safety and immunogenicity of SARS-CoV-2 self-amplifying RNA vaccine expressing an anchored RBD: A randomized, observer-blind phase 1 study.Cell reports. Medicine · 2023Trial
- A self-amplifying mRNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate induces safe and robust protective immunity in preclinical models.Molecular therapy : the journal of the American Society of Gene Therapy · 2022Trial
- Enhanced immunogenicity and dose-sparing efficacy of self-amplifying RNA vaccines against seasonal influenza across subtypes.Emerging microbes & infections · 2026Article
- Self-amplifying RNA (saRNA) and circular RNA (circRNA) vaccines: Progress, evidence gaps, and translational pathways for durable and scalable immunization.Human vaccines & immunotherapeutics · 2026Review
- Towards mRNA therapeutics 2.0.Nature reviews. Drug discovery · 2026Review
- Article
- Enhanced efficacy of a next-generation EEEV self-replicating RNA platform for combination cancer immunotherapies.Molecular therapy : the journal of the American Society of Gene Therapy · 2026Article
- An RNA-to-RNA pipeline for rapid antiviral antibody development.Molecular therapy : the journal of the American Society of Gene Therapy · 2026Article
- mRNA Vaccines for Influenza: Hope for a Universal Vaccine?BioDrugs : clinical immunotherapeutics, biopharmaceuticals and gene therapy · 2026Review
- A self-amplifying RNA vector based on rubella virus for mRNA therapeutics and vaccine applications.Molecular therapy. Nucleic acids · 2026Article
- Article
- RNA Therapeutics in Viral Infections and Cancer: Mechanisms, Challenges, and Prospects: A Review.Pharmaceutics · 2026Review
- Systems vaccinology analysis of saRNA immunization identifies an acute innate immune signature correlated with adaptive immunity.Molecular therapy. Advances · 2026Article
- Safety, immunogenicity, and optimal dosing of VLPCOV-02, a SARS-CoV-2 saRNA vaccine with modified 5-methylcytosine base.iScience · 2026Article
- Immunology of RNA-based vaccines: The critical interplay between inflammation and expression.Molecular therapy : the journal of the American Society of Gene Therapy · 2025Review
- Developing the next-generation of adenoviral vector vaccines.Human vaccines & immunotherapeutics · 2025Review
- Incorporation of 5-methylcytidine alleviates RIG-I-mediated innate immune responses to a self-amplifying RNA vaccine.Science translational medicine · 2025Article
- Modified self-amplifying RNA mediates robust and prolonged gene expression in the mammalian brain.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2025Article
44 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
31 authors at 8 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundLipid nanoparticle (LNP) encapsulated self-amplifying RNA (saRNA) is a novel technology formulated as a low dose vaccine against COVID-19.
methodsA phase I first-in-human dose-ranging trial of a saRNA COVID-19 vaccine candidate LNP-nCoVsaRNA, was conducted at Imperial Clinical Research Facility, and participating centres in London, UK, between 19
findings192 healthy individuals with no history or serological evidence of COVID-19, aged 18-45 years were enrolled. The vaccine was well tolerated with no serious adverse events related to vaccination. Seroconversion at week six whether measured by ELISA or immunoblot was related to dose (both p<0.001), ranging from 8% (3/39; 0.1μg) to 61% (14/23; 10.0μg) in ELISA and 46% (18/39; 0.3μg) to 87% (20/23; 5.0μg and 10.0μg) in a post-hoc immunoblot assay. Geometric mean (GM) anti-S IgG concentrations ranged from 74 (95% CI, 45-119) at 0.1μg to 1023 (468-2236) ng/mL at 5.0μg (p<0.001) and was not higher at 10.0μg. Neutralisation of SARS-CoV-2 by participant sera was measurable in 15% (6/39; 0.1μg) to 48% (11/23; 5.0μg) depending on dose level received.
interpretationEncapsulated saRNA is safe for clinical development, is immunogenic at low dose levels but failed to induce 100% seroconversion. Modifications to optimise humoral responses are required to realise its potential as an effective vaccine against SARS-CoV-2.
fundingThis study was co-funded by grants and gifts from the Medical Research Council UKRI (MC_PC_19076), and the National Institute Health Research/Vaccine Task Force, Partners of Citadel and Citadel Securities, Sir Joseph Hotung Charitable Settlement, Jon Moulton Charity Trust, Pierre Andurand, Restore the Earth.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.