Nucleocapsid Protein Boosts Humoral and Cellular Immune Responses Specific to Spike and RBD in Protein-Based SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination

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Nucleocapsid protein enhances both humoral and cellular immune responses specific to spike and RBD in SARS-CoV-2 protein-based vaccines.
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Current COVID-19 vaccines provide 56–95% efficacy but require booster immunizations due to waning immunity and do not fully prevent infection.
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Mucosal vaccination could improve protection against SARS-CoV-2 by inducing local immune responses in the respiratory tract.
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Engineering the Fc portion of immunoglobulins in vaccines enhances antigen presentation and immune activation for long-lasting protection.
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Intranasally delivered SARS-CoV-2 vaccines have shown promising mucosal immunogenicity and protection in animal models.

Bmc Infectious Diseases

by Stina Gröhn, Heini Lehto, Saana Soppela, Rauno A. Naves, Mikael A. Ritvos, Alina Iakubovskaia, Vili Lampinen, Iiris Mustonen, Sanniina Pakkala, Elizaveta Husu, Laura Kakkola, Ilkka Julkunen, Pekka Kolehmainen, Arja Pasternack, Olli Ritvos, Minna M. Hankaniemi
January 29, 2026

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