Ann Lab Med.  2023 May;43(3):290-294. 10.3343/alm.2023.43.3.290.

Evaluation of Cellular Responses to ChAdOx1-nCoV-19 and BNT162b2 Vaccinations

• Lee TH
• Nam M
• Seo JD
• Kim H
• Kim HR
• Hur M
• Yun YM
• Moon HW

• KMID: 2551713
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3343/alm.2023.43.3.290

Abstract

While numerous studies have evaluated humoral responses to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccines, data on the cellular responses to these vaccines remain sparse. We evaluated T cell responses to ChAdOx1-nCoV-19 and BNT162b2 vaccinations using an interferon gamma (IFN-γ) release assay (IGRA). ChAdOx1-nCoV-19- and BNT162b2-vaccinated participants initially showed stronger T cell responses than unvaccinated controls. The T cell response decreased over time and increased substantially after the administration of a BNT162b2 booster dose. Changes in the T cell response were less significant than those in the anti-receptor-binding domain IgG antibody titer. The study results can serve as baseline data for T cell responses after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination and suggest that the IGRA can be useful in monitoring immunogenicity.

Keyword

Cellular responses; Vaccination; Immunogenicity; Humoral responses; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 IGRA and antibody assay results at the indicated time points after vaccination, with responder portions and percentages defined according to the manufacturers’ cut-offs. (A) IFN-γ response in the ChAdOx1-nCoV-19-vaccinated (yellow dots) and control groups (blue dots). (B) IFN-γ response in the BNT162b2-vaccinated (red dots) and control groups. (C) Anti-RBD IgG titer in the ChAdOx1-nCoV-19-vaccinated and control groups. (D) Anti-RBD IgG titer in the BNT162b2-vaccinated and control groups. The horizontal dotted lines indicate the cut-off for each assay. Abbreviations: AU, arbitrary units; IFN-γ, interferon gamma; IGRA, IFN-γ release assay; IU, international units; RBD, receptor-binding domain.

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