Download MendeleyRational design of an optimized ferritin nanoparticle vaccine targeting both SARS-CoV-2 and MERS-CoV.
Liu, Y., Rao, H., Wang, N., Liu, X., Chen, T., Zhang, B., Lai, J., Shan, J., Xiao, S., Peng, H., Zhu, Y., Liang, T., Liu, S., Hu, M., Xie, L., Qiu, G., Li, X., Li, Y., Ma, X.(2026) J Nanobiotechnology
- PubMed: 42363226 Search on PubMed
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12951-026-04738-y
- Primary Citation Related Structures:
25HO - PubMed Abstract:
Coronaviruses including SARS-CoV-2 and MERS-CoV remain threats to global health. Ferritin nanoparticle-based vaccines are promising platforms for coronaviral multivalent antigen display. However, their development is often constrained by limited stability and homogeneity, which hinders scale-up manufacturing and long-term storage. Here, we employed artificial intelligence (AI)-guided structural modeling and optimization to introduce disulfide bonds into Helicobacter pylori ferritin (HPF). Cryo-EM at 2.2 Å confirmed the formation of inter-subunit disulfide bonds in the most promising variant HPF (I69C), resulting in a more homogeneous nanoparticle with enhanced thermal and pH stability, as well as improved solubility in physiological conditions. We utilized the ST003/SC003 molecular glue system to covalently conjugate receptor-binding domains (RBDs) of both SARS-CoV-2 and MERS-CoV, either as a mixture of individual RBD-HPF (I69C) particles or as a dimeric RBD displayed on a single HPF (I69C). Both bivalent nanoparticle vaccines elicited significantly higher titers of RBD-specific antibodies and neutralizing antibodies compared to monomeric and dimeric vaccines. Vaccination also increased frequencies of antigen-specific B cells and polyfunctional CD4 + and CD8 + T cells. No vaccine-related systemic abnormalities were observed. In both hACE2 and hDPP4 transgenic mice, two doses of bivalent nanoparticle vaccines provided protection against authentic SARS-CoV-2 and MERS-CoV challenges. Our study demonstrated that rationally engineered HPF (I69C) produced highly stable and efficiently functionalized nanoparticle vaccines capable of eliciting potent humoral and cellular immune responses against both SARS-CoV-2 and MERS-CoV infection, thereby supporting the further development of bivalent nanoparticle vaccine platforms.
- College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, China.
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