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SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.1.7 is susceptible to neutralizing antibodies elicited by ancestral Spike vaccines

Xiaoying Shen, Haili Tang, Charlene McDanal, Kshitij Wagh, Will Fischer, James Theiler, Hyejin Yoon, Dapeng Li, Barton F. Haynes, Kevin O. Sanders, Sandrasegaram Gnanakaran, Nick Hengartner, Rolando Pajon, Gale Smith, Filip Dubovsky, Gregory M. Glenn, Bette Korber, David C. Montefiori
doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.01.27.428516
Xiaoying Shen
1Department of Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
2Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
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Haili Tang
1Department of Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
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Charlene McDanal
1Department of Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
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Kshitij Wagh
3Theoretical Biology and Biophysics, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM USA
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Will Fischer
3Theoretical Biology and Biophysics, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM USA
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James Theiler
3Theoretical Biology and Biophysics, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM USA
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Hyejin Yoon
3Theoretical Biology and Biophysics, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM USA
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Dapeng Li
2Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
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Barton F. Haynes
2Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
6Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
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Kevin O. Sanders
1Department of Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
2Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
6Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
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Sandrasegaram Gnanakaran
3Theoretical Biology and Biophysics, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM USA
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Nick Hengartner
3Theoretical Biology and Biophysics, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM USA
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Rolando Pajon
4Moderna Inc., Cambridge, MA, USA
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Gale Smith
5Novavax, Inc., Gaithersburg, MD, USA
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Filip Dubovsky
5Novavax, Inc., Gaithersburg, MD, USA
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Gregory M. Glenn
5Novavax, Inc., Gaithersburg, MD, USA
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Bette Korber
3Theoretical Biology and Biophysics, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM USA
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David C. Montefiori
1Department of Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
2Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
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  • For correspondence: david.montefiori@duke.edu
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ABSTRACT

The SARS-CoV-2 Spike glycoprotein mediates virus entry and is a major target for neutralizing antibodies. All current vaccines are based on the ancestral Spike with the goal of generating a protective neutralizing antibody response. Several novel SARS-CoV-2 variants with multiple Spike mutations have emerged, and their rapid spread and potential for immune escape have raised concerns. One of these variants, first identified in the United Kingdom, B.1.1.7 (also called VUI202012/01), contains eight Spike mutations with potential to impact antibody therapy, vaccine efficacy and risk of reinfection. Here we employed a lentivirus-based pseudovirus assay to show that variant B.1.1.7 remains sensitive to neutralization, albeit at moderately reduced levels (~2-fold), by serum samples from convalescent individuals and recipients of two different vaccines based on ancestral Spike: mRNA-1273 (Moderna), and protein nanoparticle NVX-CoV2373 (Novavax). Some monoclonal antibodies to the receptor binding domain (RBD) of Spike were less effective against the variant while others were largely unaffected. These findings indicate that B.1.1.7 is not a neutralization escape variant that would be a major concern for current vaccines, or for an increased risk of reinfection.

Competing Interest Statement

Rolando Pajon is an employee of Moderna, Inc. Filip, Dubovsky, Gale Smith and Gregory M. Glenn are employees of Novavax, Inc.

Copyright 
The copyright holder for this preprint is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under a CC-BY-ND 4.0 International license.
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Posted January 29, 2021.
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SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.1.7 is susceptible to neutralizing antibodies elicited by ancestral Spike vaccines
Xiaoying Shen, Haili Tang, Charlene McDanal, Kshitij Wagh, Will Fischer, James Theiler, Hyejin Yoon, Dapeng Li, Barton F. Haynes, Kevin O. Sanders, Sandrasegaram Gnanakaran, Nick Hengartner, Rolando Pajon, Gale Smith, Filip Dubovsky, Gregory M. Glenn, Bette Korber, David C. Montefiori
bioRxiv 2021.01.27.428516; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.01.27.428516
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SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.1.7 is susceptible to neutralizing antibodies elicited by ancestral Spike vaccines
Xiaoying Shen, Haili Tang, Charlene McDanal, Kshitij Wagh, Will Fischer, James Theiler, Hyejin Yoon, Dapeng Li, Barton F. Haynes, Kevin O. Sanders, Sandrasegaram Gnanakaran, Nick Hengartner, Rolando Pajon, Gale Smith, Filip Dubovsky, Gregory M. Glenn, Bette Korber, David C. Montefiori
bioRxiv 2021.01.27.428516; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.01.27.428516

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