Nanoparticle vaccine for COVID-19 spurs robust immune response in preclinical tests The novel vaccine technology, developed at Scripps Research, uses virus-like protein nanoparticles to elicit high levels of protective antibodies.
September 21, 2020
LA JOLLA, CA In a new study that demonstrates the promise of a novel vaccine approach for COVID-19, Scripps Research scientist Jiang Zhu, PhD, showed that his protein nanoparticle technology successfully triggered a strong immune response in mice. Zhu, who co-founded the spinoff company Ufovax to commercialize the technology and manufacturing platform, says he hopes to advance the vaccine into clinical trials early next year.
The nanoparticle vaccine technology leverages a unique design that's unlike the majority of other COVID-19 vaccine candidates now in clinical testing. Each nanoparticle in the vaccine mimics the natural ball-like shape of a virus, which the immune system is trained to immediately recognize, explains Zhu, associate professor in the Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology.
These microscopic spheres are then studded with spike proteins resembling those of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
Spike proteins are the tools this virus uses to efficiently attach to and infect healthy cells, so we need the immune system to recognize them as the enemy, Zhu says. Our vaccine design enables immune cells to encounter these proteins in a more natural conformation embedded on a spherical particle so they'll know what to do when they face the virus in real life.
By contrast, most experimental COVID-19 vaccines rely on full-length spike proteins that have been modified to remain stable in the body as they interact with the immune system; they are not connected to a virus-like particle. Thus, they may not generate strong enough of an antibody response to prevent COVID-19, Zhu says.
In his pursuit of a safer and more effective path to COVID-19 immunity, Zhu designed spike proteins and attached them to the spherical protein nanoparticles through an elegant self-assembly process he says will ensure the forming a ball-shape particle of a fixed size and enable efficient vaccine production on an industrial scale.
Notably, as part of their work to optimize the spike protein, he and his team identified a problematic element of the spike called the HR2 stalk, which is a flexible hinge connecting the spike to the virus surface, and decided to delete that segment from spike proteins used in the vaccine.
The scientists then tested the nanoparticle vaccine against the altered spike protein known as S2P that's used in most other vaccines, as well as against their own engineered spike protein. To determine efficacy of each approach, they measured antibody responses in mice.
Zhu's nanoparticle vaccine elicited neutralizing antibodies at levels of up to ten times greater than the S2P spike proteins alone and induced critically needed T-cell immunity. The research appears in bioRxiv, an open-access repository of studies not yet published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal.
Our study provides a promising next-generation COVID-19 vaccine candidate that is ready for evaluation in human trials, Zhu says.
Zhu has previously used his nanoparticle technology to develop investigational vaccines for other infectious diseases including SARS, MERS, HIV, RSV, Ebola, malaria and tuberculosis.
The study, Self-assembling nanoparticles presenting receptor binding domain and stabilized spike as next-generation COVID-19 vaccines, was authored by Linling He, Xiaohe Lin, Ying Wang, Ciril Abraham, Cindy Sou, Timothy Ngo, Yi Zhang, Ian Wilson and Jiang Zhu.
The work was funded by the National Institutes of Health [AI129698 and AI140844] and Ufovax. Ufovax holds exclusive intellectual property rights to the technology and several vaccine products, including for COVID-19.
COVID-19 Zhu, Jiang
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
30/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/05/2026
Zero in on one that says yes (and no)
Andy Marken May 29, 2026
0 Comments
Hero image courtesy of Deposit Photos
For content creators the most difficu...
29/05/2026
With InfoComm 2026 just weeks away, NDI is giving attendees plenty of reasons to...
29/05/2026
Reaffirming a partnership that has defined Canadian sports broadcasting since 19...
29/05/2026
Mobile/tablet is No. 2 device for watching TV, suggesting that the sports-production industry needs to take another look at the format
Ring Digital's Sprin...
29/05/2026
Berliner Ensemble, one of Berlin's five major theater companies, has expande...
29/05/2026
Solid State Logic will showcase its new compact, fly-away TCA Tour audio product...
29/05/2026
Gerald (Jerry) Pierce, a pioneering technologist who helped shape the digital transformation of the motion picture industry, passed away last month on April 12 ...
29/05/2026
Paramount+ will be the English-language U.S. home for Barclays Women's Super...
29/05/2026
Further strengthening its virtualisation strategy to fully support broadcasters ...
29/05/2026
Swiss broadcaster Canal Alpha has deployed Harmonic's award-winning, software-based XOS Advanced Media Processor to modernize playout operations across cant...
29/05/2026
PTZOptics will showcase a new generation of intelligent video workflows at InfoComm 2026, June 17-19, Las Vegas. Visitors to booth N8227 will see how PTZOptics ...
29/05/2026
Arizona's Family has launched the Arizona's Family Sports (AZFS) streaming app, a new direct-to-consumer destination for live, local sports. The app is ...
29/05/2026
Starting in 2027, DAZN will be the exclusive home of The Canadian Football Leagu...
29/05/2026
Comcast Business has detailed the advanced network infrastructure it has deploye...
29/05/2026
In two-day event, leaders from academia and industry explored solutions to chall...
29/05/2026
The Basketball Tournament (TBT), now entering their 13th year of competition, ha...
29/05/2026
Roku has launched FOX One as a Premium Subscription on The Roku Channel in the U.S. Roku customers can now subscribe to FOX One using their Roku account for liv...
29/05/2026
In its sixth year, the broadcaster's coverage has become a global brand and ...
29/05/2026
Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent ratings news and is derived from press re...
29/05/2026
The days are getting longer, the temperatures are rising, and playlists are filling up for the season. With summer around the corner, Spotify's global edito...
29/05/2026
New retro-inspired MPC announced
There are few devices that have gained the status held by Akai Pro's MPC range, and in recent years, the company have s...
29/05/2026
Save up to 30 on acclaimed titles
Following a successful launch at Superbooth 2026, Bjooks have revealed that they will be continuing the Kickstarter campa...
29/05/2026
Binaural monitoring application improved
Genelec have just released an update that brings some powerful new features to their HRTF-based binaural headphone ...
29/05/2026
6 June 2026 at SAE Institute, London, UK
IMSTA FESTA 2026 is almost upon us, with some of the biggest names in pro-audio set to descend upon SAE Institute i...
29/05/2026
Gerald (Jerry) Pierce, a pioneering technologist who helped shape the digital transformation of the motion picture industry, died April 12, 2026, at his home in...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Comparing 5 AI Video Enhancers for Restoring Old Video Quality
Kate Luvis May 29, 2026
0 Comments
Digitizing VHS, MiniDV, and other legacy formats doe...
29/05/2026
Studio Hamburg Builds New Post Pipeline with DaVinci Resolve Studio
Brie Clayton May 29, 2026
0 Comments
Workflow replaces a patchwork of legacy tools...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
At the Intersection of Music and Dance, an Epic Collaboration Boston Conservatory musicians and dancers found creative parallels in their recent performance o...
29/05/2026
Back to All News
Latino Film Institute Fellows Screen Their Short Films at the Egyptian Theatre
The Inclusion Fellowship and Spark Animation Grant uplifts 15 ...
29/05/2026
GLOOKAST LAUNCHES CINNAFILM TACHYON PLUGIN FOR MEDIA PRODUCER AND MEDIA SERVICES
This release first appeared here.
Visit our Tachyon product page or contact...
29/05/2026
May 29 2026, 09:00 (PDT) Dolby and rednote Bring More Immersive Storytelling to...
29/05/2026
Something fundamental has shifted in how people consume media. Audiences aren't abandoning television or radio content; they're just expanding how, wher...
29/05/2026
Youtube exclusive special drops today
Watch now
UKTV today announces another e...
29/05/2026
Back to All News
The Official Trailer of Physical 100 Italy, on Netflix From Se...
Nanoparticle vaccine for COVID-19 spurs robust immune response in preclinical tests The novel vaccine technology, developed at Scripps Research, uses virus-like protein nanoparticles to elicit high levels of protective antibodies.
