In a phase I/II dose-escalation clinical trial, the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine BNT162b1
elicits specific T cell and antibody responses that suggest it has protective potential.
An effective vaccine is needed to halt the spread of the severe acute respiratory
syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic. Recently, we reported safety, tolerability
and antibody response data from an ongoing placebo-controlled, observer-blinded phase
I/II coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine trial with BNT162b1, a lipid nanoparticle-formulated
nucleoside-modified mRNA that encodes the receptor binding domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2
spike protein(1). Here we present antibody and T cell responses after vaccination
with BNT162b1 from a second, non-randomized open-label phase I/II trial in healthy
adults, 18-55 years of age. Two doses of 1-50 mu g of BNT162b1 elicited robust CD4(+)and
CD8(+)T cell responses and strong antibody responses, with RBD-binding IgG concentrations
clearly above those seen in serum from a cohort of individuals who had recovered from
COVID-19. Geometric mean titres of SARS-CoV-2 serum-neutralizing antibodies on day
43 were 0.7-fold (1-mu g dose) to 3.5-fold (50-mu g dose) those of the recovered individuals.
Immune sera broadly neutralized pseudoviruses with diverse SARS-CoV-2 spike variants.
Most participants had T helper type 1 (T(H)1)-skewed T cell immune responses with
RBD-specific CD8(+)and CD4(+)T cell expansion. Interferon-gamma was produced by a
large fraction of RBD-specific CD8(+)and CD4(+)T cells. The robust RBD-specific antibody,
T cell and favourable cytokine responses induced by the BNT162b1 mRNA vaccine suggest
that it has the potential to protect against COVID-19 through multiple beneficial
mechanisms.
