ABSTRACT
SARS-CoV-2 spike protein (S) pseudotyped viruses are commonly used for quantifying antiviral drugs and neutralizing antibodies. Here we describe the development of a hybrid alphavirus-SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirion (Ha-CoV-2), which is a non-replicating SARS-CoV-2 virus-like particle composed of viral structural proteins (S, M, N, and E) and a RNA genome derived from a fast expressing alphaviral vector. We validated Ha-CoV-2 for rapid quantification of neutralization antibodies, antiviral drugs, and viral variants (e.g. delta). In addition, as a proof-of-concept, we used Ha-CoV-2 to quantified the neutralizing antibodies from an infected and vaccinated individual, and found that the one dose vaccination with Moderna mRNA-1273 has greatly increased the anti-serum titer for approximately 6 fold. The post-vaccination serum can neutralize all 9 variants tested. These results demonstrate that Ha-CoV-2 can be used as a robust platform for rapid quantification of neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 and its emerging variants.
Fuente: Cell Reports Methods