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Roth N, Gergen J, Kovacikova K, Mueller SO, Ulrich L, Schön J, Halwe NJ, Fricke C, Corleis B, Dorhoi A, Hoffmann D, Beer M, Maione D, Petsch B, Rauch S. Assessment of Immunogenicity and Efficacy of CV0501 mRNA-Based Omicron COVID-19 Vaccination in Small Animal Models. Vaccines (Basel) 2023; 11:vaccines11020318. [PMID: 36851196 PMCID: PMC9965737 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines11020318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2023] [Revised: 01/27/2023] [Accepted: 01/28/2023] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) Omicron and its subvariants (BA.2, BA.4, BA.5) represented the most commonly circulating variants of concern (VOC) in the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in 2022. Despite high vaccination rates with approved SARS-CoV-2 vaccines encoding the ancestral spike (S) protein, these Omicron subvariants have collectively resulted in increased viral transmission and disease incidence. This necessitates the development and characterization of vaccines incorporating later emerging S proteins to enhance protection against VOC. In this context, bivalent vaccine formulations may induce broad protection against VOC and potential future SARS-CoV-2 variants. Here, we report preclinical data for a lipid nanoparticle (LNP)-formulated RNActive® N1-methylpseudouridine (N1mΨ) modified mRNA vaccine (CV0501) based on our second-generation SARS-CoV-2 vaccine CV2CoV, encoding the S protein of Omicron BA.1. The immunogenicity of CV0501, alone or in combination with a corresponding vaccine encoding the ancestral S protein (ancestral N1mΨ), was first measured in dose-response and booster immunization studies performed in Wistar rats. Both monovalent CV0501 and bivalent CV0501/ancestral N1mΨ immunization induced robust neutralizing antibody titers against the BA.1, BA.2 and BA.5 Omicron subvariants, in addition to other SARS-CoV-2 variants in a booster immunization study. The protective efficacy of monovalent CV0501 against live SARS-CoV-2 BA.2 infection was then assessed in hamsters. Monovalent CV0501 significantly reduced SARS-CoV-2 BA.2 viral loads in the airways, demonstrating protection induced by CV0501 vaccination. CV0501 has now advanced into human Phase 1 clinical trials (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05477186).
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Lorenz Ulrich
- Institute of Diagnostic Virology, Friedrich Loeffler Institut, 17493 Griefswald-Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Jacob Schön
- Institute of Diagnostic Virology, Friedrich Loeffler Institut, 17493 Griefswald-Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Nico Joel Halwe
- Institute of Diagnostic Virology, Friedrich Loeffler Institut, 17493 Griefswald-Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Charlie Fricke
- Institute of Immunology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, 17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Björn Corleis
- Institute of Immunology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, 17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Anca Dorhoi
- Institute of Immunology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, 17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Donata Hoffmann
- Institute of Diagnostic Virology, Friedrich Loeffler Institut, 17493 Griefswald-Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Martin Beer
- Institute of Diagnostic Virology, Friedrich Loeffler Institut, 17493 Griefswald-Insel Riems, Germany
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Shin YS, Jarhad DB, Jang MH, Kovacikova K, Kim G, Yoon JS, Kim HR, Hyun YE, Tipnis AS, Chang TS, van Hemert MJ, Jeong LS. Identification of 6'-β-fluoro-homoaristeromycin as a potent inhibitor of chikungunya virus replication. Eur J Med Chem 2019; 187:111956. [PMID: 31841728 PMCID: PMC7115507 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2019.111956] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2019] [Accepted: 12/06/2019] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
We have reported on aristeromycin (1) and 6′-fluorinated-aristeromycin analogues (2), which are active against RNA viruses such as Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV), Zika virus (ZIKV), and Chikungunya virus (CHIKV). However, these exhibit substantial cytotoxicity. As this cytotoxicity may be attributed to 5′-phosphorylation, we designed and synthesized one-carbon homologated 6′-fluorinated-aristeromycin analogues. This modification prevents 5′-phosphorlyation by cellular kinases, whereas the inhibitory activity towards S-adenosyl-l-homocysteine (SAH) hydrolase will be retained. The enantiomerically pure 6′-fluorinated-5′-homoaristeromycin analogues 3a-e were synthesized via the electrophilic fluorination of the silyl enol ether with Selectfluor, using a base-build up approach as the key steps. All synthesized compounds exhibited potent inhibitory activity towards SAH hydrolase, among which 6′-β-fluoroadenosine analogue 3a was the most potent (IC50 = 0.36 μM). Among the compounds tested, 6′-β-fluoro-homoaristeromycin 3a showed potent antiviral activity (EC50 = 0.12 μM) against the CHIKV, without noticeable cytotoxicity up to 250 μM. Only 3a displayed anti-CHIKV activity, whereas both3a and 3b inhibited SAH hydrolase with similar IC50 values (0.36 and 0.37 μM, respectively), which suggested that 3a’s antiviral activity did not merely depend on the inhibition of SAH hydrolase. This is further supported by the fact that the antiviral effect was specific for CHIKV and some other alphaviruses and none of the homologated analogues inhibited other RNA viruses, such as SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and ZIKV. The potent inhibition and high selectivity index make 6′-β-fluoro-homoaristeromycin (3a) a promising new template for the development of antivirals against CHIKV, a serious re-emerging pathogen that has infected millions of people over the past 15 years.
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Affiliation(s)
- Young Sup Shin
- Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, South Korea
| | - Dnyandev B Jarhad
- Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, South Korea
| | - Min Hwan Jang
- Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, South Korea
| | - Kristina Kovacikova
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Albinusdreef 2, 2333ZA, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Gyudong Kim
- Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, South Korea
| | - Ji-Seong Yoon
- Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, South Korea
| | - Hong-Rae Kim
- Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, South Korea
| | - Young Eum Hyun
- Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, South Korea
| | - Amol S Tipnis
- Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, South Korea
| | - Tong-Shin Chang
- Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, South Korea
| | - Martijn J van Hemert
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Albinusdreef 2, 2333ZA, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Lak Shin Jeong
- Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, South Korea.
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Yoon JS, Kim G, Jarhad DB, Kim HR, Shin YS, Qu S, Sahu PK, Kim HO, Lee HW, Wang SB, Kong YJ, Chang TS, Ogando NS, Kovacikova K, Snijder EJ, Posthuma CC, van Hemert MJ, Jeong LS. Design, Synthesis, and Anti-RNA Virus Activity of 6'-Fluorinated-Aristeromycin Analogues. J Med Chem 2019; 62:6346-6362. [PMID: 31244113 PMCID: PMC7075649 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.9b00781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The 6'-fluorinated aristeromycins were designed as dual-target antiviral compounds aimed at inhibiting both the viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) and the host cell S-adenosyl-l-homocysteine (SAH) hydrolase, which would indirectly target capping of viral RNA. The introduction of a fluorine at the 6'-position enhanced the inhibition of SAH hydrolase and the activity against RNA viruses. The adenosine and N6-methyladenosine analogues 2a-e showed potent inhibition against SAH hydrolase, while only the adenosine derivatives 2a-c exhibited potent antiviral activity against all tested RNA viruses such as Middle East respiratory syndrome-coronavirus (MERS-CoV), severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus, chikungunya virus, and/or Zika virus. 6',6'-Difluoroaristeromycin (2c) showed the strongest antiviral effect for MERS-CoV, with a ∼2.5 log reduction in infectious progeny titer in viral load reduction assay. The phosphoramidate prodrug 3a also demonstrated potent broad-spectrum antiviral activity, possibly by inhibiting the viral RdRp. This study shows that 6'-fluorinated aristeromycins can serve as starting points for the development of broad-spectrum antiviral agents that target RNA viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ji-Seong Yoon
- Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy , Seoul National University , Seoul 151-742 , Korea
| | - Gyudong Kim
- Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy , Seoul National University , Seoul 151-742 , Korea.,College of Pharmacy and Research Institute of Drug Development , Chonnam National University , Gwangju 500-757 , Korea
| | - Dnyandev B Jarhad
- Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy , Seoul National University , Seoul 151-742 , Korea
| | - Hong-Rae Kim
- Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy , Seoul National University , Seoul 151-742 , Korea
| | - Young-Sup Shin
- Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy , Seoul National University , Seoul 151-742 , Korea
| | - Shuhao Qu
- Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy , Seoul National University , Seoul 151-742 , Korea.,College of Pharmaceutical Engineering , Henan University of Animal Husbandry and Economy , Zhengzhou , 450046 , China
| | | | - Hea Ok Kim
- Future Medicine Co., Ltd. , Seoul 06665 , Korea
| | | | - Su Bin Wang
- College of Pharmacy , Ewha Womans University , Seoul 120-750 , Korea
| | - Yun Jeong Kong
- College of Pharmacy , Ewha Womans University , Seoul 120-750 , Korea
| | - Tong-Shin Chang
- Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy , Seoul National University , Seoul 151-742 , Korea.,College of Pharmacy , Ewha Womans University , Seoul 120-750 , Korea
| | - Natacha S Ogando
- Department of Medical Microbiology , Leiden University Medical Center , Albinusdreef 2 , 2333ZA Leiden , The Netherlands
| | - Kristina Kovacikova
- Department of Medical Microbiology , Leiden University Medical Center , Albinusdreef 2 , 2333ZA Leiden , The Netherlands
| | - Eric J Snijder
- Department of Medical Microbiology , Leiden University Medical Center , Albinusdreef 2 , 2333ZA Leiden , The Netherlands
| | - Clara C Posthuma
- Department of Medical Microbiology , Leiden University Medical Center , Albinusdreef 2 , 2333ZA Leiden , The Netherlands
| | - Martijn J van Hemert
- Department of Medical Microbiology , Leiden University Medical Center , Albinusdreef 2 , 2333ZA Leiden , The Netherlands
| | - Lak Shin Jeong
- Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy , Seoul National University , Seoul 151-742 , Korea
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Hwu JR, Gupta NK, Tsay SC, Huang WC, Albulescu IC, Kovacikova K, van Hemert MJ. Bis(benzofuran-thiazolidinone)s and bis(benzofuran-thiazinanone)s as inhibiting agents for chikungunya virus. Antiviral Res 2017; 146:96-101. [PMID: 28830714 DOI: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2017.08.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2017] [Revised: 08/14/2017] [Accepted: 08/15/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
There are currently still no approved antiviral drugs to treat or prevent chikungunya virus (CHIKV) infections despite the fact that this arbovirus continues to cause outbreaks in Africa, Asia, and South- and Central-America. Thus 20 new conjugated compounds in the families of bis(benzofuran-1,3-thiazolidin-4-one)s and bis(benzofuran-1,3-thiazinan-4-one)s were designed based on the structural features of suramin. These new compounds were synthesized by chemical methods and their structures were confirmed spectroscopically. In CPE reduction assays, six of these new bis-conjugates inhibited CHIKV replication in Vero E6 cells with EC50 in the range of 1.9-2.7 μM and selectivity index values of ∼75 or higher. These results and compounds provide a starting point for further optimization, design, and synthesis of new antiviral agents for this (re)emerging disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jih Ru Hwu
- Department of Chemistry & Frontier Research Center on Fundamental and Applied Sciences of Matters, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan; Department of Chemistry, National Central University, Jhongli City 32001, Taiwan.
| | - Nitesh K Gupta
- Department of Chemistry & Frontier Research Center on Fundamental and Applied Sciences of Matters, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan
| | - Shwu-Chen Tsay
- Department of Chemistry & Frontier Research Center on Fundamental and Applied Sciences of Matters, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan; Department of Chemistry, National Central University, Jhongli City 32001, Taiwan
| | - Wen-Chieh Huang
- Department of Chemistry & Frontier Research Center on Fundamental and Applied Sciences of Matters, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan
| | - Irina C Albulescu
- Molecular Virology Laboratory, Department of Medical Microbiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Kristina Kovacikova
- Molecular Virology Laboratory, Department of Medical Microbiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Martijn J van Hemert
- Molecular Virology Laboratory, Department of Medical Microbiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
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Albulescu IC, Kovacikova K, Tas A, Snijder EJ, van Hemert MJ. Suramin inhibits Zika virus replication by interfering with virus attachment and release of infectious particles. Antiviral Res 2017; 143:230-236. [PMID: 28461070 DOI: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2017.04.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2017] [Revised: 04/10/2017] [Accepted: 04/26/2017] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Zika virus (ZIKV) is a mosquito-borne flavivirus that mostly causes asymptomatic infections or mild disease characterized by low-grade fever, rash, conjunctivitis, and malaise. However, the recent massive ZIKV epidemics in the Americas have also linked ZIKV infection to fetal malformations like microcephaly and Guillain-Barré syndrome in adults, and have uncovered previously unrecognized routes of vertical and sexual transmission. Here we describe inhibition of ZIKV replication by suramin, originally an anti-parasitic drug, which was more recently shown to inhibit multiple viruses. In cell culture-based assays, using reduction of cytopathic effect as read-out, suramin had an EC50 of ∼40 μM and a selectivity index of 48. In single replication cycle experiments, suramin treatment also caused a strong dose-dependent decrease in intracellular ZIKV RNA levels and a >3-log reduction in infectious progeny titers. Time-of-addition experiments revealed that suramin inhibits a very early step of the replication cycle as well as the release of infectious progeny. Only during the first 2 h of infection suramin treatment strongly reduced the fraction of cells that became infected with ZIKV, suggesting the drug affects virus binding/entry. Binding experiments at 4 °C using 35S-labeled ZIKV demonstrated that suramin interferes with attachment to host cells. When suramin treatment was initiated post-entry, viral RNA synthesis was unaffected, while both the release of genomes and the infectivity of ZIKV were reduced. This suggests the compound also affects virion biogenesis, possibly by interfering with glycosylation and the maturation of ZIKV during its traffic through the secretory pathway. The inhibitory effect of suramin on ZIKV attachment and virion biogenesis and its broad-spectrum activity warrant further evaluation of this compound as a potential therapeutic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irina C Albulescu
- Molecular Virology Laboratory, Department of Medical Microbiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Kristina Kovacikova
- Molecular Virology Laboratory, Department of Medical Microbiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Ali Tas
- Molecular Virology Laboratory, Department of Medical Microbiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Eric J Snijder
- Molecular Virology Laboratory, Department of Medical Microbiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Martijn J van Hemert
- Molecular Virology Laboratory, Department of Medical Microbiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
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