Mucosal vaccines for SARS-CoV-2: scientific gaps and opportunities-workshop report

Jane M Knisely; Lucas E Buyon; Rebecca Mandt; Rebecca Farkas; Shobana Balasingam; Karin Bok; Ursula J Buchholz; M Patricia D'Souza; Jennifer L Gordon; Deborah F L King; Tung T Le; Wolfgang W Leitner; Robert A Seder; Alkis Togias; Stig Tollefsen; David W Vaughn; Daniel N Wolfe; Kimberly L Taylor; Anthony S Fauci

doi:10.1038/s41541-023-00654-6

Mucosal vaccines for SARS-CoV-2: scientific gaps and opportunities-workshop report

NPJ Vaccines. 2023 Apr 12;8(1):53. doi: 10.1038/s41541-023-00654-6.

Authors

Jane M Knisely^#^{1

2}, Lucas E Buyon^#³, Rebecca Mandt^#³, Rebecca Farkas⁴, Shobana Balasingam⁵, Karin Bok⁶, Ursula J Buchholz⁷, M Patricia D'Souza⁸, Jennifer L Gordon⁹, Deborah F L King⁵, Tung T Le⁴, Wolfgang W Leitner¹⁰, Robert A Seder⁶, Alkis Togias¹⁰, Stig Tollefsen⁴, David W Vaughn¹¹, Daniel N Wolfe¹², Kimberly L Taylor⁹, Anthony S Fauci^#¹³

Affiliations

¹ Office of the Director, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA. kniselyj@niaid.nih.gov.
² Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA. kniselyj@niaid.nih.gov.
³ Office of Scientific Management and Operations, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
⁴ Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, Skøyen Atrium, Askekroken 11, 0277, Oslo, Norway.
⁵ Infectious Disease, Prevention, Wellcome Trust, UK, London, NW1 2BE, UK.
⁶ Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
⁷ RNA Viruses Section, Laboratory of Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, US.
⁸ Division of AIDS, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD, USA.
⁹ Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
¹⁰ Division of Allergy, Immunology, and Transplantation, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Rockville, MD, USA.
¹¹ Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Seattle, WA, USA.
¹² Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response, Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, 200 C Street SW, Washington, DC, 20024, USA.
¹³ Office of the Director, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

On November 7th and 8th, 2022, The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovation (CEPI), The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), and the Wellcome Trust hosted a virtual workshop entitled “Mucosal Vaccines for SARS-CoV-2: Scientific Gaps and Opportunities.” During the workshop, researchers and vaccine developers from around the world discussed the potential of mucosal vaccines to block SARS-CoV-2 transmission and reviewed the status of SARS-CoV-2 mucosal vaccine research. Here, we summarize key challenges and opportunities in basic, translational, and clinical research that were highlighted during the meeting. We also provide recommendations to advance the field and accelerate the development of mucosal vaccines for SARS-CoV-2.

Grants and funding

WT_/Wellcome Trust/United Kingdom