A gold nanoparticle/peptide vaccine designed to induce SARS-CoV-2-specific CD8 T cells: a double-blind, randomized, phase 1 study in Switzerland

Abstract Background New vaccines with broader protection against SARS-CoV-2 are needed to reduce the risk of immune escape and provide broad and long-lasting cellular immunity. The objectives of the naNO-COVID trial were to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of a CD8 + T cell, gold nanoparticle-...

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Main Authors: Juliette Besson, Régine Audran, Maxime Karlen, Alix Miauton, Hélène Maby-El Hajjami, Loane Warpelin-Decrausaz, Loredana Sene, Sylvain Schaufelberger, Vincent Faivre, Mohamed Faouzi, Mary-Anne Hartley, François Spertini, Blaise Genton
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Language:English
Published: BMC 2025-04-01
Series:BMC Infectious Diseases
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-025-10844-3
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author Juliette Besson
Régine Audran
Maxime Karlen
Alix Miauton
Hélène Maby-El Hajjami
Loane Warpelin-Decrausaz
Loredana Sene
Sylvain Schaufelberger
Vincent Faivre
Mohamed Faouzi
Mary-Anne Hartley
François Spertini
Blaise Genton
author_facet Juliette Besson
Régine Audran
Maxime Karlen
Alix Miauton
Hélène Maby-El Hajjami
Loane Warpelin-Decrausaz
Loredana Sene
Sylvain Schaufelberger
Vincent Faivre
Mohamed Faouzi
Mary-Anne Hartley
François Spertini
Blaise Genton
author_sort Juliette Besson
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Background New vaccines with broader protection against SARS-CoV-2 are needed to reduce the risk of immune escape and provide broad and long-lasting cellular immunity. The objectives of the naNO-COVID trial were to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of a CD8 + T cell, gold nanoparticle-based, peptide COVID-19 vaccine. Methods A randomized, double-blind, vehicle-controlled, phase 1 trial in healthy adults to receive PepGNP-Covid19 or Vehicle-GNP, followed over 180 days, using a dose-escalation strategy. Results Twenty participants received PepGNP-Covid19 (low dose [LD] or high dose [HD], n = 10 each) and six Vehicle-GNP (LD or HD, n = 3 each). Vaccinations were safe. No serious adverse events were reported. Most of the adverse events were mild, two adverse events of special interest related to the product (fever and fatigue). Reactogenicity was similar overall between vaccine, comparator, and doses. Virus-specific humoral responses in LD PepGNP-Covid19 and Vehicle-GNP groups coincided with SARS-CoV-2 infections. PepGNP-Covid19 vaccination induced the modulation of Covid19-specific CD137 + CD69 + CD8 + , and an increase at day 35 particularly in central and effector memory T cells in LD group, and in late effector memory cells in HD group. Conclusions The favourable safety profile and cellular responses observed support further development of PepGNP-Covid19. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT05113862, approved 09.11.2021.
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spelling doaj-art-47ce7203f61b4ddcae29e23afa79ccda2025-08-20T02:17:46ZengBMCBMC Infectious Diseases1471-23342025-04-0125111510.1186/s12879-025-10844-3A gold nanoparticle/peptide vaccine designed to induce SARS-CoV-2-specific CD8 T cells: a double-blind, randomized, phase 1 study in SwitzerlandJuliette Besson0Régine Audran1Maxime Karlen2Alix Miauton3Hélène Maby-El Hajjami4Loane Warpelin-Decrausaz5Loredana Sene6Sylvain Schaufelberger7Vincent Faivre8Mohamed Faouzi9Mary-Anne Hartley10François Spertini11Blaise Genton12Tropical, Travel and Vaccination Clinic, Center for Primary Care and Public Health (Unisanté), University of LausanneDivision of Immunology and Allergy, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV), University of LausanneTropical, Travel and Vaccination Clinic, Center for Primary Care and Public Health (Unisanté), University of LausanneTropical, Travel and Vaccination Clinic, Center for Primary Care and Public Health (Unisanté), University of LausanneClinical Trial Unit, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV), University of LausanneClinical Trial Unit, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV), University of LausanneClinical Trial Unit, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV), University of LausanneInformation Systems and Digital Transformation, Center for Primary Care and Public Health (Unisanté), University of LausanneInformation Systems and Digital Transformation, Center for Primary Care and Public Health (Unisanté), University of LausanneDivision of Biostatistics, Center for Primary Care and Public Health (Unisanté), University of LausanneTropical, Travel and Vaccination Clinic, Center for Primary Care and Public Health (Unisanté), University of LausanneDivision of Immunology and Allergy, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV), University of LausanneTropical, Travel and Vaccination Clinic, Center for Primary Care and Public Health (Unisanté), University of LausanneAbstract Background New vaccines with broader protection against SARS-CoV-2 are needed to reduce the risk of immune escape and provide broad and long-lasting cellular immunity. The objectives of the naNO-COVID trial were to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of a CD8 + T cell, gold nanoparticle-based, peptide COVID-19 vaccine. Methods A randomized, double-blind, vehicle-controlled, phase 1 trial in healthy adults to receive PepGNP-Covid19 or Vehicle-GNP, followed over 180 days, using a dose-escalation strategy. Results Twenty participants received PepGNP-Covid19 (low dose [LD] or high dose [HD], n = 10 each) and six Vehicle-GNP (LD or HD, n = 3 each). Vaccinations were safe. No serious adverse events were reported. Most of the adverse events were mild, two adverse events of special interest related to the product (fever and fatigue). Reactogenicity was similar overall between vaccine, comparator, and doses. Virus-specific humoral responses in LD PepGNP-Covid19 and Vehicle-GNP groups coincided with SARS-CoV-2 infections. PepGNP-Covid19 vaccination induced the modulation of Covid19-specific CD137 + CD69 + CD8 + , and an increase at day 35 particularly in central and effector memory T cells in LD group, and in late effector memory cells in HD group. Conclusions The favourable safety profile and cellular responses observed support further development of PepGNP-Covid19. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT05113862, approved 09.11.2021.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-025-10844-3COVID-19SARS-CoV-2VaccineNanoparticleCellularImmunity
spellingShingle Juliette Besson
Régine Audran
Maxime Karlen
Alix Miauton
Hélène Maby-El Hajjami
Loane Warpelin-Decrausaz
Loredana Sene
Sylvain Schaufelberger
Vincent Faivre
Mohamed Faouzi
Mary-Anne Hartley
François Spertini
Blaise Genton
A gold nanoparticle/peptide vaccine designed to induce SARS-CoV-2-specific CD8 T cells: a double-blind, randomized, phase 1 study in Switzerland
BMC Infectious Diseases
COVID-19
SARS-CoV-2
Vaccine
Nanoparticle
Cellular
Immunity
title A gold nanoparticle/peptide vaccine designed to induce SARS-CoV-2-specific CD8 T cells: a double-blind, randomized, phase 1 study in Switzerland
title_full A gold nanoparticle/peptide vaccine designed to induce SARS-CoV-2-specific CD8 T cells: a double-blind, randomized, phase 1 study in Switzerland
title_fullStr A gold nanoparticle/peptide vaccine designed to induce SARS-CoV-2-specific CD8 T cells: a double-blind, randomized, phase 1 study in Switzerland
title_full_unstemmed A gold nanoparticle/peptide vaccine designed to induce SARS-CoV-2-specific CD8 T cells: a double-blind, randomized, phase 1 study in Switzerland
title_short A gold nanoparticle/peptide vaccine designed to induce SARS-CoV-2-specific CD8 T cells: a double-blind, randomized, phase 1 study in Switzerland
title_sort gold nanoparticle peptide vaccine designed to induce sars cov 2 specific cd8 t cells a double blind randomized phase 1 study in switzerland
topic COVID-19
SARS-CoV-2
Vaccine
Nanoparticle
Cellular
Immunity
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-025-10844-3
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