Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42113876›Full record

ArticlePLoS pathogens2026

LP.8.1-directed COVID-19 mRNA vaccines durably boost neutralizing antibodies and mitigate ancestral immune imprinting.

Ian A Mellis, Madeline Wu, Hsiang Hong, Anthony Bowen, Kristin Daniel, Carmen Gherasim, Virginia M Pierce, Michael T Yin, Aubree Gordon, Yicheng Guo and 1 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in PLoS pathogens, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing 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

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Ian A MellisAaron Diamond AIDS Research Center, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, New York, United States of America.
Madeline WuAaron Diamond AIDS Research Center, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, New York, United States of America.
Hsiang HongAaron Diamond AIDS Research Center, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, New York, United States of America.
Anthony BowenAaron Diamond AIDS Research Center, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, New York, United States of America.
Kristin DanielAaron Diamond AIDS Research Center, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, New York, United States of America.
Carmen GherasimDepartment of Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America.
Virginia M PierceDepartment of Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America.
Michael T YinAaron Diamond AIDS Research Center, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, New York, United States of America.
Aubree GordonDepartment of Epidemiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America.
Yicheng GuoAaron Diamond AIDS Research Center, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, New York, United States of America.
David D HoAaron Diamond AIDS Research Center, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, New York, United States of America.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1627-149X

Funding

Elucidating the impact of immune imprinting on SARS-CoV-2 variant vaccination strategies using a humanized mouse modelK08AI180347 · NIAID · COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES · PI Anthony Bowen · 2024 to 2026
$581k
NIAID NIH HHS K08 AI180347
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

As SARS-CoV-2 evolves, it evades existing immunity elicited by exposure to earlier strains of the virus. In response, vaccine manufacturers have updated COVID-19 vaccines annually since 2022, though immune imprinting to the ancestral strain has blunted antibody responses to modern viral variants. In early 2025, the JN.1 subvariant LP.8.1 was dominant and manufacturers updated mRNA vaccine formulations to target LP.8.1 (LP.8.1 MV). However, by late 2025, other subvariants were dominant (XFG and NB.1.8.1) or emerging (e.g., PE.1.4, BA.3.2, PY.1.1.1) around the world. It is critical to understand the extent to which updated vaccine boosters elicit titers against both their target strain and recent variants. Further, it is important to quantify the extent to which immune imprinting continues to shape antiviral immune responses. Using pseudoviruses, we measured neutralizing antibody titers against a panel of 11 SARS-CoV-2 variants in serum samples from 36 adult participants in the United States before and approximately 1 month after LP.8.1 MV booster. We found that neutralizing antibody titers were substantially increased by the boost, with the greatest increases elicited against LP.8.1 and XFG. For the first time, post-boost titers were higher against the homologous vaccine target (LP.8.1) than against D614G (representing the ancestral strain). Combined, these results indicate that ancestral immune imprinting is mitigated to the greatest extent observed to date by LP.8.1 MV. Lastly, for a subset of participants, we measured neutralizing titers at approximately 4 months post-booster and found that LP.8.1-directed antibody titers were durable, with an estimated average half-life of approximately 66 days.

Indexed as

Antibodies, NeutralizingAntibodies, ViralCOVID-19COVID-19 VaccinesSARS-CoV-2HumansImmunization, SecondarymRNA VaccinesVaccines, SyntheticAntibodies, NeutralizingAntibodies, ViralCOVID-19 VaccinesmRNA VaccinesVaccines, Synthetic

Identifiers

PMID42113876
PMCPMC13178986

What OpenQuestion holds

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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.