Preclinical immunogenicity of the LP.8.1-adapted BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccine

npj Vaccines 2026 Open access

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Authors: Chaitanya Kurhade, Wei J. Chen, Weiqiang Li, Kristin R. Tompkins, Lyndsey T. Martinez, Swati Rajput, Emily Babiarz, Aaron Yam, Shin-Ae Lee, Shikha Shrivastava, Sarah O’Leary, Subrata K. Saha
+13 more Hui Qing Yao, Hao Li, Todd S. Coffey, Carla Iris Cadima Couto, Alexander Muik, R.M. Girón Moreno, Wesley Swanson, Pilar Mendoza, Uğur Şahin, Annaliesa S. Anderson, Kena A. Swanson, Pirada Suphaphiphat Allen, Kayvon Modjarrad
DOI: 10.1038/s41541-026-01515-8
Cited by: 0
References: 15

Abstract

SARS-CoV-2 evolution toward antigenically distinct lineages drives escape from host immunity. JN.1 lineage derivatives have recently dominated the global epidemiologic landscape. In preclinical models, an LP.8.1-adapted BNT162b2 vaccine elicited higher serum neutralizing antibody responses against contemporary, circulating JN.1 sublineages, including the epidemiologically dominant XFG lineage, as compared to JN.1 and KP.2 vaccines. These findings supported the selection of an LP.8.1-adapted vaccine for the composition of the 2025-26 COVID-19 vaccine formula.

Fields of Study & Subjects

SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 Research vaccines and immunoinformatics approaches Immune responses and vaccinations

Publication details

Journal / source
npj Vaccines
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Volume
11
Issue
1
Publication date
6 July 2026
Language
EN