Beta variant COVID-19 protein booster vaccines elicit durable cross-neutralization against SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern in non-human primates

Abstract Rapid spread of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron subvariants despite the implementation of booster vaccination has raised questions about the durability of protection conferred by current vaccines. Vaccines that can induce broader and more durable immune responses against SARS-CoV-2 post-booster are urgently needed. We recently reported that our Beta-containing protein-based SARS-CoV-2 spike booster vaccine candidates with AS03 adjuvant (CoV2 preS dTM-AS03) elicited robust cross-neutralizing antibody responses up to 3 months in macaques primed with mRNA or protein-based subunit vaccine candidates. Here we demonstrate that the AS03-adjuvanted Beta-containing vaccine formulations induce durable cross-neutralizing antibody responses against Omicron (BA.1) and SARS-CoV-1, and are detectable in all macaques 6 months post-booster. We also describe the induction of consistent and robust memory B cell responses, independent of the levels measured post-primary immunization. These data suggest that a booster dose with a Beta-containing CoV2 preS dTM-AS03 vaccine can induce robust and durable cross-neutralizing responses against a broad spectrum of variants.