Neutralization of SARS-CoV-2 lineage B.1.1.7 pseudovirus by BNT162b2 vaccine–elicited human sera
View ORCID ProfileAlexander Muik1, View ORCID ProfileAnn-Kathrin Wallisch1, View ORCID ProfileBianca Sänger1, View ORCID ProfileKena A. Swanson2, View ORCID ProfileJulia Mühl1, Wei Chen2, Hui Cai2, View ORCID ProfileDaniel Maurus1, Ritu Sarkar2, View ORCID ProfileÖzlem Türeci1, View ORCID ProfilePhilip R. Dormitzer2, View ORCID ProfileU?ur ?ahin1,3,*
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Science 12 Mar 2021:
Vol. 371, Issue 6534, pp. 1152-1153
DOI: 10.1126/science.abg6105
Abstract
Recently, a new severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) lineage called B.1.1.7 (variant of concern: VOC 202012/01), which is reported to spread more efficiently and faster than other strains, emerged in the United Kingdom. This variant has an unusually large number of mutations, with 10 amino acid changes in the spike (S) protein, raising concerns that its recognition by neutralizing antibodies may be affected. In this study, we tested SARS-CoV-2-S pseudoviruses bearing either the Wuhan reference strain or the B.1.1.7 lineage spike protein with sera of 40 participants who were vaccinated in a previously reported trial with the messenger RNA–based COVID-19 vaccine BNT162b2. The immune sera had slightly reduced but overall largely preserved neutralizing titers against the B.1.1.7 lineage pseudovirus. These data indicate that the B.1.1.7 lineage will not escape BNT162b2-mediated protection.
