BACKGROUNDSerological methods to conduct epidemiological survey are often directed only against the spike protein. To overcome this limitation, we have designed PRAK-03202, a virus-like particle (VLP), by inserting three antigens (Spike, envelope and membrane) of SARS-CoV-2 into a highly characterized S. cerevisiae-based D-Crypt™ platform.METHODSDot blot analysis was performed to confirm the presence of S, E, and M proteins in PRAK-03202. The number of particles in PRAK-03202 was measured using nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA). The sensitivity of VLP-ELISA was evaluated in 100 COVID positive. PRAK-03202 was produced at a 5 L scale using fed-batch fermentation.RESULTSDot blot confirmed the presence of S, E, and M proteins in PRAK-03202. The number of particles in PRAK-03202 was 1.21 × 10⁹ mL^-1. In samples collected >14 days after symptom onset, the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of VLP-ELISA were 96%. We did not observe any significant differences in sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy when post-COVID-19 samples were used as negative controls compared to pre-COVID-samples. At a scale of 5 L, the total yield of PRAK-03202 was 100-120 mg/L.CONCLUSIONIn conclusion, we have successfully developed an in-house VLP-ELISA to detect IgG antibodies against three antigens of SARS-CoV-2 as a simple and affordable alternative test.

2021-10-01·Heliyon

PRAK-03202: A triple antigen virus-like particle vaccine candidate against SARS CoV-2

Article

作者: Potdar, Swaroop ; Saini, Manish ; Mazumder, Saumyabrata ; Arora, Nupur Mehrotra ; Pratim, Biswa ; Singh, Manglesh Kumar ; Arya, Vidya Bhushan ; Parashar, Deepak ; Undale, Avinash ; Paliwal, Jeny ; Mali, Bhupesh ; Srivastava, Apoorva ; Kalyanaraman, Sriganesh ; Roy, Sourav Singha ; Mukherjee, Abhishek ; Bansal, Sarthi ; Kumar, Dilip ; Rastogi, Ruchir ; Kumar, Devanand ; Jain, Kshipra ; Naqvi, Aelia ; Joseph, Abyson ; Rautray, Satabdi ; Arora, Kajal ; Gupta, Aditi ; Gupta, Reeshu ; Kundu, Prabuddha Kumar ; Singh, Sudhir Kumar

The rapid development of safe and effective vaccines against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS CoV-2) is a necessary response to coronavirus outbreak. Here, we developed PRAK-03202, the world's first triple antigen virus-like particle vaccine candidate, by cloning and transforming SARS-CoV-2 gene segments into a highly characterized S. cerevisiae-based D-Crypt™ platform, which induced SARS CoV-2 specific neutralizing antibodies in BALB/c mice. Immunization using three different doses of PRAK-03202 induced an antigen-specific (spike, envelope, and membrane proteins) humoral response and neutralizing potential. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from convalescent patients showed lymphocyte proliferation and elevated interferon levels suggestive of epitope conservation and induction of T helper 1-biased cellular immune response when exposed to PRAK-03202. These data support further clinical development and testing of PRAK-03202 for use in humans.

2021-10-01·Heliyon

Corrigendum to “PRAK-03202: A triple antigen virus-like particle vaccine candidate against SARS CoV-2”[Heliyon 7 (10) (October 2021) e08124]