Sano Kaori, Miyakawa Kei, Kato Hideaki, Kimura Yayoi, Goto Atsushi, Ryo Akihide, Watanabe Shinji, Hasegawa Hideki
Influenza Research Center, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Japan Institute for Health Security, Tokyo, Japan.
Influenza Research Center, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Japan Institute for Health Security, Tokyo, Japan; AIDS Research Center, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Japan Institute for Health Security, Tokyo, Japan; Department of Microbiology, Yokohama City University School of Medicine, Yokohama, Japan.
Vaccine. 2025 Aug 30;62:127472. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2025.127472. Epub 2025 Jul 9.
The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants poses ongoing challenges to vaccine efficacy. We evaluated neutralizing antibody responses against JN.1 and its derivatives (KP.3, KP.3.1.1, LB.1, and XEC) in healthcare workers who received seven doses of BNT162b2, including the XBB.1.5 monovalent vaccine. In COVID-19-naïve individuals, KP.3.1.1 and LB.1 showed substantial immune escape, whereas previously infected individuals maintained neutralization activity against all variants. We also demonstrated that JN.1-based immunization induces robust cross-neutralizing activity against emerging variants. A single amino acid deletion at position 31 in the spike protein may be associated with enhanced immune evasion. These findings support the potential effectiveness of JN.1-based vaccines while highlighting the need for continued surveillance and vaccine optimization.
严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2(SARS-CoV-2)变体的出现对疫苗效力构成了持续挑战。我们评估了接种七剂BNT162b2(包括XBB.1.5单价疫苗)的医护人员针对JN.1及其衍生物(KP.3、KP.3.1.1、LB.1和XEC)的中和抗体反应。在未感染过新冠病毒的个体中,KP.3.1.1和LB.1表现出显著的免疫逃逸,而既往感染过的个体对所有变体仍保持中和活性。我们还证明,基于JN.1的免疫接种可诱导针对新出现变体的强大交叉中和活性。刺突蛋白第31位的单个氨基酸缺失可能与免疫逃逸增强有关。这些发现支持了基于JN.1的疫苗的潜在有效性,同时强调了持续监测和疫苗优化的必要性。