The DNA vaccine has a protective effect against SARS-CoV-2 infection in monkeys.

This article is from the NEJM journal watch. DNA vaccine against sars-cov-2 infection in monkeys has protective effect against sars-cov-2 infection in monkeys. Author: Anthony L. komaroff, mdsars-cov-2 infection and DNA vaccine have at least produced short-term protective immunity.vaccine testing in monkeys is usually a prerequisite for human studies.a team from Harvard University inoculated nine rhesus monkeys with sars-cov-2.the researchers detected high viral load in the upper and lower respiratory tract of monkeys (lower viral load in intestine, liver and kidney), and the monkeys produced virus specific humoral and cellular immune responses.pathological examination confirmed that the monkeys had pneumonia (but they showed only mild respiratory symptoms); no monkeys died. Br / >compared with the initial infection, the viral load in the respiratory tract has decreased.subsequently, the team produced several different DNA vaccines: the DNA encoding various spike proteins of sars-cov-2 was injected into the muscles of 35 monkeys without a history of viral infection. The DNA was ingested by cells and began to produce viral mRNA and protein.animals vaccinated with the most effective vaccine produced neutralizing antibodies (equivalent to natural infection levels) and cellular immunity against the virus.when these animals were infected with the virus, the viral load in vaccinated animals decreased exponentially compared with the control animals without vaccination; the vaccinated animals had only mild clinical symptoms.the animals with the highest neutralizing antibody titer obtained the strongest protective effect.no adverse reactions were found in the study.commenting on these two studies in monkeys, sars-cov-2 infection produces at least temporary natural immunity, but the persistence is uncertain.DNA vaccine research has brought us hope that the vaccine will be equally effective and safe when used in human body.I suspect that the vaccine can produce at least short-term effects in humans, but the safety is uncertain.compared with the traditional peptide vaccine, DNA vaccine is easier to produce, more stable in the process of storage and transportation, and different from the traditional "disposable" peptide vaccine: DNA can continuously produce proteins that cause protective immune response.with the support of the US federal government and commercial agencies, large-scale trials are under way. [1] chandrashekar a et al; NEJM journal watch is published by NEJM group. Famous international doctors are invited to comment on important papers in medical field to help doctors understand and apply the latest progress."NEJM medical frontier" translated several articles every week, published on app and official website, and 2-3 selected articles were published on wechat.copyright information this article is translated, compiled or invited by the editorial department of NEJM medical frontier.for the translation and writing of articles originated from the English products of NEJM group, the original English version shall prevail.the full text of the Chinese translation and the charts included are exclusively authorized by the NEJM group of the Massachusetts Medical Association.for reprint, please contact nejmqianyan@nejmqianyan.cn 。unauthorized translation is an infringement, and the copyright owner reserves the right to investigate the legal liability.