The vaccinia-based Sementis Copenhagen Vector COVID-19 vaccine induces broad and durable cellular and humoral immune responses

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic perpetuated by SARS-CoV-2 variants, has highlighted the continued need for broadly protective vaccines that elicit robust and durable protection. Here, the vaccinia virus-based, replication-defective Sementis Copenhagen Vector (SCV) was used to develop a first-generation COVID-19 vaccine encoding the spike glycoprotein (SCV-S). Vaccination of mice rapidly induced polyfunctional CD8 T cells with cytotoxic activity and robust Th1-biased, spike-specific neutralizing antibodies, which are significantly increased following a second vaccination, and contained neutralizing activity against the alpha and beta variants of concern. Longitudinal studies indicated neutralizing antibody activity was maintained up to 9 months post-vaccination in both young and aging mice, with durable immune memory evident even in the presence of pre-existing vector immunity. This immunogenicity profile suggests a potential to expand protection generated by current vaccines in a heterologous boost format, and presents a solid basis for second-generation SCV-based COVID-19 vaccine candidates incorporating additional SARS-CoV-2 immunogens.