The paper develops a risk calculator to predict immune escape of SARS-CoV-2 variants and group antigenically related variants to guide vaccine strain selection.

Journal of Virology · Apr 27, 2026Peer-reviewedImmunology

Defining a highly conserved B cell epitope in the receptor binding motif of SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein

Sameer Kumar Malladi, Deepika Jaiswal, Baoling Ying, Wafaa B. Alsoussi, Tamarand L. Darling, Bernadeta Dadonaite, Alesandro Civljak, Stephen C. Horvath, Julian Q. Zhou, Wooseob Kim, Jackson S. Turner, Aaron J. Schmitz, Fangjie Han, Suzanne M. Scheaffer, Christopher W Farnsworth, , Ali H. Ellebedy

Booster SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine recruits and broadens GC B cell responses targeting a highly conserved site on receptor binding domain of spike glycoprotein.

Science Immunology · Oct 10, 2025Peer-reviewedImmunology

mRNA-1273.251 and mRNA-1283.251 vaccines expressing SARS-CoV-2 variant LP.8.1 antigens broadly neutralize contemporary JN.1-lineage viruses

Arshan Nasir, Diana Wing Lee, Ziqiu Wang, Clinton O. Ogega, Nathen E. Bopp, Phylicia Wisti, Daniel L. Makrinos, Hardik Jani, Amy Gorrie, Michael F. Bender, Adrian R. Laciak, Arvind Sharma, Xiaozhen Hu, Tessa Speidel, Fadi Ghantous, , Alec W. Freyn

This study develops and evaluates two mRNA vaccines targeting the LP.8.1 variant of SARS-CoV-2, showing broad neutralization against JN.1-lineage subvariants.

bioRxiv · Sep 16, 2025 · PreprintImmunology

Structural serology of polyclonal antibody responses to mRNA-1273 and NVX-CoV2373 COVID-19 vaccines

Sandhya Bangaru, Abigail M. Jackson, Jeffrey Copps, Monica L. Fernández‐Quintero, Jonathan L. Torres, Sara T. Richey, Bartek Nogal, Leigh M. Sewall, Alba Torrents de la Peña, Asma Rehman, Mimi Guebre‐Xabier, Bethany Girard, Rituparna Das, Kizzmekia S. Corbett, Robert A. Seder, , Andrew B. Ward

This study maps polyclonal antibody responses to mRNA-1273 and NVX-CoV2373 vaccines using EMPEM, revealing the NTD supersite as an immunodominant epitope vulnerable to variant mutations.

Cell Reports · Jul 1, 2025Peer-reviewedImmunology

Phylogeny-driven design of broadly protective sarbecovirus receptor-binding domain nanoparticle vaccines

Amin Addetia, Alexandra Schäfer, Kaitlin R. Sprouse, Adian Valdez, Ashley Taylor, Mary-Jane Navarro, Jack T Brown, Elizabeth M. Leaf, Marcos C. Miranda, Alexandra C. Walls, Jimin Lee, Nicholas Catanzaro, Catherine Treichel, Isabelle Willoughby, John Powers, , David Veesler

This paper designs multivalent RBD nanoparticle vaccines that overcome immune imprinting and provide broad protection against SARS-CoV-2 variants and sarbecoviruses.

bioRxiv · May 11, 2025 · PreprintImmunology

mRNA-1273 vaccines adapted to JN.1 or KP.2 elicit cross-neutralizing responses against the JN.1 sublineages of SARS-CoV-2 in mice

Diana Wing Lee, Arshan Nasir, Sayda M. Elbashir, Hardik Jani, Tessa Speidel, Amy Gorrie, Daniela Montes Berrueta, Philippa Martin, Swan Tan, Yixuan Jacob Hou, Kath Hardcastle, Darin K. Edwards, Kai Wu, Andrea Carfı́, Yadunanda Budigi

This study evaluates JN.1 and KP.2 mRNA vaccines in mice, showing they elicit strong neutralizing antibodies against JN.1 subvariants and cross-neutralize KP.3, LA.2, and XEC.

Vaccine · Mar 7, 2025Peer-reviewedImmunology

Ipsilateral or contralateral boosting of mice with mRNA vaccines confers equivalent immunity and protection against a SARS-CoV-2 Omicron strain

Baoling Ying, Chieh-Yu Liang, Pritesh Desai, Suzanne M. Scheaffer, Sayda M. Elbashir, Darin K. Edwards, Larissa B. Thackray, Michael Diamond

This study shows that boosting mice with mRNA vaccines in the ipsilateral or contralateral arm leads to equivalent immune responses and protection against SARS-CoV-2 Omicron.

Journal of Virology · Aug 28, 2024Peer-reviewedMicrobiology