Publications by authors named "Essink B"

Self-replicating RNA (srRNA) technology, in comparison to mRNA vaccines, has shown dose-sparing by approximately 10-fold and more durable immune responses. However, no improvements are observed in the adverse events profile. Here, we develop an srRNA vaccine platform with optimized non-coding regions and demonstrate immunogenicity and safety in preclinical and clinical development.

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Background: To help inform COVID-19 vaccination recommendations, we evaluated the impact of age and dosing interval on clinical benefit of a third dose of mRNA-1273.

Methods: Approximately 17 000 participants from the phase 3 Coronavirus Efficacy trial who previously received 2 doses of 100 µg mRNA-1273 were evaluated for COVID-19 between September 2021 and April 2022 during uptake of a third booster dose of 50 µg of mRNA-1273. Cox models assessed booster relative efficacy of a third dose.

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This phase 1, open-label, dose-escalation, multi-center study (NCT05477186) assessed the safety and immunogenicity of a booster dose of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine (CV0501) encoding the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.1 spike protein. Participants aged ≥ 18 years previously vaccinated with ≥ 2 doses of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine received CV0501 doses ranging from 12 to 200 μg.

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Introduction: Vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 is an integral pillar of the public health approach to COVID-19. With the emergence of variants of concern that increase transmissibility and escape from vaccine- or infection-induced protection, vaccines have been developed to more closely match the newly circulating SARS-CoV-2 strains to improve protection. The safety and immunogenicity of multiple authorized messenger RNA (mRNA)-based COVID-19 vaccines targeting the omicron sublineage (BA.

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Primary vaccination with mRNA-1273 (100-µg) was safe and efficacious at preventing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the previously reported, blinded Part A of the phase 3 Coronavirus Efficacy (COVE; NCT04470427) trial in adults (≥18 years) across 99 U.S. sites.

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Objectives: Human metapneumovirus (hMPV) and parainfluenza virus type 3 (PIV3) are common respiratory illnesses in children. The safety and immunogenicity of an investigational mRNA-based vaccine, mRNA-1653, encoding membrane-anchored fusion proteins of hMPV and PIV3, was evaluated in hMPV/PIV3-seropositive children.

Methods: In this phase 1b randomized, observer-blind, placebo-controlled, dose-ranging study, hMPV/PIV3-seropositive children were enrolled sequentially into 2 dose levels of mRNA-1653 administered 2 months apart; children aged 12 to 36 months were randomized (1:1) to receive 10-μg of mRNA-1653 or placebo and children aged 12 to 59 months were randomized (3:1) to receive 30-μg of mRNA-1653 or placebo.

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Article Synopsis
  • An mRNA-based vaccine, mRNA-1345, is being tested in older adults (ages 65-79) to combat respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and its associated health risks.
  • In a phase 1 trial, the vaccine showed good safety and tolerability, with common side effects including injection site pain, fatigue, and headaches, particularly after the booster dose.
  • Immunogenicity results indicated that a single dose significantly boosted antibody levels against RSV, and these levels remained elevated for 12 months after the initial shot and also increased with the booster.
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  • Monovalent and bivalent COVID-19 vaccines containing the Omicron XBB.1.5 variant were approved for use during the 2023-2024 immunization season and are currently undergoing evaluation in a phase 2/3 study.
  • Among participants who previously received previous vaccine doses, those who received the monovalent vaccine showed greater increases in neutralizing antibodies against various SARS-CoV-2 variants compared to those who received the bivalent vaccine.
  • The results indicate that the XBB.1.5 mRNA vaccines generate strong immune responses against newer variants, validating the update of COVID-19 vaccines to include the XBB.1.5 spike protein.
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A serum-free, highly purified rabies vaccine produced in Vero cells is under development. The initial formulation, PVRV-NG, was evaluated in five Phase II studies and subsequently reformulated (PVRV-NG2). This multicenter, observer-blinded Phase II study investigated the safety and immune response of three different doses (antigen content) of PVRV-NG2 versus a licensed human diploid cell rabies vaccine (HDCV; Imovax rabies®).

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  • A phase 2/3 trial compared the safety and effectiveness of the new bivalent mRNA-1273.222 vaccine, targeting Omicron BA.4/BA.5 variants, against the original mRNA-1273 vaccine used as boosters in adults who had previously received it.
  • Results showed that the bivalent vaccine produced stronger neutralizing antibody responses against the Omicron variants while maintaining similar effectiveness against the original virus compared to mRNA-1273.
  • The safety profile for mRNA-1273.222 was consistent with the previous vaccine, with no new safety issues found, but further monitoring of vaccine effectiveness and potential new variants is advised.
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  • A phase 2/3 study compared the efficacy and safety of the Omicron-BA.1 bivalent vaccine (mRNA-1273.214) to the original booster (mRNA-1273) in adults who had previously received two doses of an mRNA vaccine.
  • Day 91 results showed that mRNA-1273.214 produced significantly higher neutralizing antibody levels against Omicron-BA.1 compared to mRNA-1273 and had comparable responses to the ancestral SARS-CoV-2 virus.
  • Both vaccines had similar safety profiles, but the Omicron-BA.1 bivalent vaccine demonstrated better antibody responses across various variants, indicating its potential advantages as a booster.
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Importance: Greater than 20% of cases and 0.4% of deaths from COVID-19 occur in children. Following demonstration of the safety and efficacy of the adjuvanted, recombinant spike protein vaccine NVX-CoV2373 in adults, the PREVENT-19 trial immediately expanded to adolescents.

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Background: Yellow fever (YF) vaccination is often mandatory for travelers to YF-endemic areas. The areas with risk of YF partially overlap with those of dengue, for which there is currently no recommended vaccine available for dengue-naïve individuals. This phase 3 study assessed the immunogenicity and safety of concomitant and sequential administration of YF (YF-17D) and tetravalent dengue (TAK-003) vaccines in healthy adults aged 18-60 years living in areas of the US non-endemic for either virus.

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Background: Developing a safe and immunogenic vaccine against Zika virus remains an unmet medical need. We did two phase 1 studies that evaluated the safety and immunogenicity of two mRNA-based Zika virus vaccines (mRNA-1325 and mRNA-1893) in adults.

Methods: Two randomised, placebo-controlled, dose-ranging, multicentre, phase 1 trials, one of mRNA-1325 (mRNA-1325 trial) and one of mRNA-1893 (mRNA-1893 trial), were done.

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The rapid spread of SARS-CoV-2 continues to impact humanity on a global scale with rising total morbidity and mortality. Despite the development of several effective vaccines, new products are needed to supply ongoing demand and to fight variants. We report herein a pre-specified interim analysis of the phase 2 portion of a Phase 2/3, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of a coronavirus virus-like particle (CoVLP) vaccine candidate, produced in plants that displays the SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein, adjuvanted with AS03 (NCT04636697).

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Article Synopsis
  • A study aimed to compare the safety and immune response of a cell-based quadrivalent inactivated influenza vaccine (QIVc) with a licensed vaccine (QIV) in children aged 6 to 47 months during the 2019-2020 flu season.
  • Conducted as a phase 3, randomized, and blinded trial, over 1,600 children received either QIVc or QIV, with immune responses measured at specific intervals after vaccination.
  • Results showed similar immune responses and safety profiles between the two vaccines, indicating that QIVc is well-tolerated and effective for young children.
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  • Updated immunization strategies are crucial to combat different variants of SARS-CoV-2, leading to a trial for a bivalent vaccine (mRNA-1273.211) targeting both ancestral and Beta variant spike proteins.
  • The trial included two booster doses (50-µg and 100-µg) given about 9 months after initial vaccination, focusing on comparing safety, reactogenicity, and antibody responses to previous doses.
  • Results showed that the bivalent booster elicited significantly higher neutralizing antibody responses against various variants, matched the safety profile of prior boosters, and indicated a strong protective potential against COVID-19.
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Background: Over 20% of cases and 0.4% of deaths from Covid-19 occur in children. Following demonstration of safety and efficacy of the adjuvanted, recombinant spike protein vaccine NVX-CoV2373 in adults, the PREVENT-19 trial enrolled adolescents.

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Background: The reactogenicity and immunogenicity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines are well studied. Little is known regarding the relationship between immunogenicity and reactogenicity of COVID-19 vaccines.

Methods: This study assessed the association between immunogenicity and reactogenicity after 2 mRNA-1273 (100 µg) injections in 1671 total adolescent and adult participants (≥12 years) from the primary immunogenicity sets of the blinded periods of the Coronavirus Efficacy (COVE) and TeenCOVE trials.

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Background: The safety and immunogenicity of the bivalent omicron-containing mRNA-1273.214 booster vaccine are not known.

Methods: In this ongoing, phase 2-3 study, we compared the 50-μg bivalent vaccine mRNA-1273.

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Background: The aim of this study was to investigate safety and immunogenicity of vaccine formulations against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) containing the stabilized prefusion conformation of RSV fusion protein (RSVPreF3).

Methods: This phase 1/2, randomized controlled, observer-blind study enrolled 48 young adults (YAs; aged 18-40 years) and 1005 older adults (OAs; aged 60-80 years) between January and August 2019. Participants were randomized into equally sized groups to receive 2 doses of unadjuvanted (YAs and OAs) or AS01-adjuvanted (OAs) vaccine or placebo 2 months apart.

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Background: Human metapneumovirus (hMPV) and parainfluenza virus type 3 (PIV3) cause respiratory tract illness in children and the elderly. No licensed vaccines are available.

Methods: In this phase 1, randomized, dose-ranging, first-in-human study, the safety, reactogenicity, and humoral immunogenicity of an investigational mRNA-based hMPV and PIV3 combination vaccine, mRNA-1653, were evaluated in healthy adults aged 18-49 years.

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A serum-free, highly purified Vero cell rabies vaccine (PVRV-NG) is under development. We previously demonstrated that pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) with PVRV-NG had a satisfactory safety profile and was immunogenically non-inferior to the licensed purified Vero cell rabies vaccine in adults. Here, we evaluated the safety and immunogenic non-inferiority of PrEP with PVRV-NG compared to the licensed human diploid cell vaccine (HDCV) in healthy adults (NCT01784874).

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This cohort study assesses the durability of protection against symptomatic COVID-19 among participants of the mRNA-1273 SARS-CoV-2 (Moderna) vaccine trial.

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Background: Messenger RNA (mRNA)-1273 vaccine demonstrated 93.2% efficacy against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the Coronavirus Efficacy (COVE) trial. The humoral immunogenicity results are now reported.

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