ABSTRACT
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the causative agent of the COVID-19 global pandemic. SARS-CoV-2 is an enveloped RNA virus that relies on its trimeric surface glycoprotein spike for entry into host cells. Here we describe the COVID-19 vaccine candidate MV-014-212, a live, attenuated, recombinant human respiratory syncytial virus expressing a chimeric SARS-CoV-2 spike as the only viral envelope protein. MV-014-212 was attenuated and immunogenic in African green monkeys (AGMs). One mucosal administration of MV-014-212 in AGMs protected against SARS-CoV-2 challenge, reducing by more than 200-fold the peak shedding of SARS-CoV-2 in the nose. MV-014-212 elicited mucosal immunoglobulin A in the nose and neutralizing antibodies in serum that exhibited cross-neutralization against virus variants of concern Alpha, Beta, and Delta. Intranasally delivered, live attenuated vaccines such as MV-014-212 entail low-cost manufacturing suitable for global deployment. MV-014-212 is currently in Phase 1 clinical trials as an intranasal COVID-19 vaccine.
ABSTRACT
The impacts of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic highlight the importance of environmental monitoring to inform public health safety. Wastewater based epidemiology (WBE) has drawn interest as a tool for analysis of biomarkers in wastewater networks. Wide scale implementation of WBE requires a variety of field deployable analytical tools for real-time monitoring. Nanobiotechnology enabled sensing platforms offer potential as biosensors capable of highly efficient and sensitive detection of target analytes. This review provides an overview of the design and working principles of nanobiotechnology enabled biosensors and recent progress on the use of biosensors in detection of biomarkers. In addition, applications of biosensors for analysis of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus are highlighted as they relate to the potential expanded use of biosensors for WBE-based monitoring. Finally, we discuss the opportunities and challenges in future applications of biosensors in WBE for effective monitoring and investigation of public health threats.