Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40872865›Full record

ArticleVaccines2025

SARS-CoV-2 RBD Scaffolded by AP205 or TIP60 Nanoparticles and Delivered as mRNA Elicits Robust Neutralizing Antibody Responses.

Johnathan D Guest, Yi Zhang, Daniel Flores, Emily Atkins, Kuishu Ren, Yingyun Cai, Kim Rosenthal, Zimeng Wang, Kihwan Kim, Charles Chen and 6 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Vaccines, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

16 authors.

Johnathan D GuestVaccines and Immune Therapies, AstraZeneca, Gaithersburg, MD 20878, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-1521-5242
Yi ZhangVaccines and Immune Therapies, AstraZeneca, Gaithersburg, MD 20878, USA.
Daniel FloresVaccines and Immune Therapies, AstraZeneca, Gaithersburg, MD 20878, USA.
Emily AtkinsVaccines and Immune Therapies, AstraZeneca, Gaithersburg, MD 20878, USA.
Kuishu RenVaccines and Immune Therapies, AstraZeneca, Gaithersburg, MD 20878, USA.
Yingyun CaiVaccines and Immune Therapies, AstraZeneca, Gaithersburg, MD 20878, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-1101-0920
Kim RosenthalVaccines and Immune Therapies, AstraZeneca, Gaithersburg, MD 20878, USA.
Zimeng WangAdvanced Drug Delivery, Pharmaceutical Sciences, AstraZeneca, Waltham, MA 02451, USA.
Kihwan KimVaccines and Immune Therapies, AstraZeneca, Gaithersburg, MD 20878, USA.
Charles ChenAdvanced Drug Delivery, Pharmaceutical Sciences, AstraZeneca, Waltham, MA 02451, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-7695-5215
Richard RoqueVaccines and Immune Therapies, AstraZeneca, Gaithersburg, MD 20878, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-0964-8455
Bei ChengAdvanced Drug Delivery, Pharmaceutical Sciences, AstraZeneca, Waltham, MA 02451, USA.
Marianna Yanez ArtetaAdvanced Drug Delivery, Pharmaceutical Sciences, AstraZeneca, 43183 Gothenburg, Sweden.
Liping ZhouAdvanced Drug Delivery, Pharmaceutical Sciences, AstraZeneca, Waltham, MA 02451, USA.
Jason LaliberteVaccines and Immune Therapies, AstraZeneca, Gaithersburg, MD 20878, USA.ORCID 0009-0006-7131-1369
Joseph R FrancicaVaccines and Immune Therapies, AstraZeneca, Gaithersburg, MD 20878, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-1336-4682

Funding

AstraZeneca Innovation Fund N/A
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

BACKGROUND/

objectivesSARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidates comprising the receptor binding domain (RBD) of the spike protein have been shown to confer protection against infection. Previous research evaluating vaccine candidates with SARS-CoV-2 RBD fused to ferritin (RBD-ferritin) and other scaffolds suggested that multimeric assemblies of RBD can enhance antigen presentation to improve the potency and breadth of immune responses. Though RBDs directly fused to a self-assembling scaffold can be delivered as messenger RNA (mRNA) formulated with lipid nanoparticles (LNPs), reports of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidates that combine these approaches remain scarce.

methodsHere, we designed RBD fused to AP205 or TIP60 self-assembling nanoparticles following a search of available structures focused on several scaffold properties. RBD-AP205 and RBD-TIP60 were tested for antigenicity following transfection and for immunogenicity and neutralization potency when delivered as mRNA in mice, with RBD-ferritin as a direct comparator.

resultsAll scaffolded RBD constructs were readily secreted to transfection supernatant and showed antigenicity in ELISA, though clear heterogeneity in assembly was observed. RBD-AP205 and RBD-TIP60 also exhibited robust antibody binding and neutralization titers in mice that were comparable to those elicited by RBD-ferritin or a full-length membrane-bound spike.

conclusionsThese data suggest that AP205 and TIP60 can present RBD as effectively as ferritin and induce similar immune responses. By describing additional scaffolds for multimeric display that accommodate mRNA delivery platforms, this work can provide new tools for future vaccine design efforts.

Indexed as

antibody neutralizationmRNA vaccinesnanoparticlesprotein scaffoldSARS-CoV-2

Identifiers

PMID40872865
PMCPMC12389965

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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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.