PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Lasrado, Ninaad AU - Collier, Ai-ris Y. AU - Miller, Jessica AU - Hachmann, Nicole P. AU - Liu, Jinyan AU - Sciacca, Michaela AU - Wu, Cindy AU - Anand, Trisha AU - Bondzie, Esther A. AU - Fisher, Jana L. AU - Mazurek, Camille R. AU - Patio, Robert C. AU - Powers, Olivia AU - Rodrigues, Stefanie L. AU - Rowe, Marjorie AU - Surve, Nehalee AU - Ty, Darren M. AU - Korber, Bette AU - Barouch, Dan H. TI - Waning Immunity Against XBB.1.5 Following Bivalent mRNA Boosters AID - 10.1101/2023.01.22.525079 DP - 2023 Jan 01 TA - bioRxiv PG - 2023.01.22.525079 4099 - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2023/01/23/2023.01.22.525079.short 4100 - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2023/01/23/2023.01.22.525079.full AB - The SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant has continued to evolve. XBB is a recombinant between two BA.2 sublineages, XBB.1 includes the G252V mutation, and XBB.1.5 includes the G252V and F486P mutations. XBB.1.5 has rapidly increased in frequency and has become the dominant virus in New England. The bivalent mRNA vaccine boosters have been shown to increase neutralizing antibody (NAb) titers to multiple variants, but the durability of these responses remains to be determined. We assessed humoral and cellular immune responses in 30 participants who received the bivalent mRNA boosters and performed assays at baseline prior to boosting, at week 3 after boosting, and at month 3 after boosting. Our data demonstrate that XBB.1.5 substantially escapes NAb responses but not T cell responses after bivalent mRNA boosting. NAb titers to XBB.1 and XBB.1.5 were similar, suggesting that the F486P mutation confers greater transmissibility but not increased immune escape. By month 3, NAb titers to XBB.1 and XBB.1.5 declined essentially to baseline levels prior to boosting, while NAb titers to other variants declined less strikingly.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.