| First Author | Villadiego J | Year | 2023 |
| Journal | Nat Neurosci | Volume | 26 |
| Issue | 2 | Pages | 226-238 |
| PubMed ID | 36624276 | Mgi Jnum | J:336189 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:7486680 | Doi | 10.1038/s41593-022-01242-y |
| Citation | Villadiego J, et al. (2023) Full protection from SARS-CoV-2 brain infection and damage in susceptible transgenic mice conferred by MVA-CoV2-S vaccine candidate. Nat Neurosci 26(2):226-238 |
| abstractText | Vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 have been shown to be safe and effective but their protective efficacy against infection in the brain is yet unclear. Here, in the susceptible transgenic K18-hACE2 mouse model of severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), we report a spatiotemporal description of SARS-CoV-2 infection and replication through the brain. SARS-CoV-2 brain replication occurs primarily in neurons, leading to neuronal loss, signs of glial activation and vascular damage in mice infected with SARS-CoV-2. One or two doses of a modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) vector expressing the SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein (MVA-CoV2-S) conferred full protection against SARS-CoV-2 cerebral infection, preventing virus replication in all areas of the brain and its associated damage. This protection was maintained even after SARS-CoV-2 reinfection. These findings further support the use of MVA-CoV2-S as a promising vaccine candidate against SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19. |
