CoVepiT

CoVepiT is a next-generation multi-target, multi-variant vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 in clinical Phase 1. The vaccine candidate was designed using optimized epitopes selected after screening more than 67,000 global SARS-CoV-2 genomes, as well as those of previous human-infective CoVs, SARS and MERS, to identify vaccine targets with the lowest chance of natural mutation.

Targeting 11 virus proteins including Spike, Membrane, Nucleocapsid and several non-structural proteins, this second-generation vaccine covers all initial and novel SARS-CoV-2 variants identified globally to date.

In preclinical testing, CoVepiT demonstrated the ability to activate T cell defenses through CD8 T-cell multi-epitope responses for long-term T memory cell immunity. In clinical testing, a long-term memory response was confirmed at 6 months.

In preclinical testing, CoVepiT demonstrated the ability to activate T cell defenses through CD8 T-cell multi-epitope responses for long-term T memory cell immunity.

. Positive long term immunological results at 6 months in healthy volunteers with strong T cell memory responses against virus proteins.

. CoVepiT, based on 13 peptides, elicits durable T-cell immunity against a wide range of structural and non-structural viral proteins.

. The vaccine remains independent of mutations identified in current and emerging variants*.

In Phase 1, a positive analysis of the long-term immune T cell responses of CoVepiT has shown positive immunological results obtained at 6 months on T cell memory response in the vaccinated subjects. In parallel, the resolution of local indurations, previously observed, related to T cell mechanism of action (1) and the good safety profile were confirmed.

This durability and longevity of the T cell memory response at 6 months come in addition to the initial immune T cell results achieved at Week 6 as primary endpoint for all subjects of the clinical trial. This long term positive immune response is of strong interest ⁽²⁾ as more multispecific memory T cells are expected to be efficient for immunocompromised patients in case of any new emerging coronavirus or variants of concern.

The strategy for OSE Immunotherapeutics is now to leverage these long-term T cell response positive results and to select the most relevant peptides allowing an easier industrial scale-up to be ready for any new pandemic crisis with a novel variant of concern (Read the press release of March 16, 2022).

*These epitopes, fragments of viral proteins, are antigenic determinants recognized by T cell receptors during an adaptive T immune response. They are not currently impacted by the mutations described for the various current variants (in particular Delta, Omicron) and emerging variants due to the epitopes selected in the conserved regions of the virus without recurrent mutations. 

(1) Heitmann, J. S. et al. Nature 2022 

(2) Swaddling et al. Nature 2022