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To enable benchmarking of immunogenicity between candidate severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccines, there is a need for standardized, validated immunogenicity assays. In this article, we report the design and criteria used to validate immunogenicity assays and the outcome of the validation of serologic and functional assays for the evaluation of functional immune response and antibody titers in human serum. A quantitative cell-based microneutralization (MNT) assay, utilizing a reference standard, for detecting anti-SARS-CoV-2 spike protein-neutralizing antibodies in human serum and Meso Scale Discovery's multiplex electrochemiluminescence (MSD ECL) assay for immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 spike, nucleocapsid, and receptor-binding domain (RBD) proteins were assessed for precision, accuracy, dilutional linearity, selectivity, and specificity using pooled human serum from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-confirmed recovered donors. Both assays met prespecified acceptance criteria for precision, relative accuracy, dilutional linearity, selectivity, and specificity. Both assays demonstrated high specificity for the different SARS-CoV-2 antigens or virus tested, and no significant cross-reactivity with seasonal coronaviruses. An evaluation to compare the neutralizing activity in the MNT assay to the IgG measured using the MSD ECL assay showed a strong correlation between the presence of neutralizing activity and amount of antibodies against the spike and RBD proteins in sera from both convalescent and vaccinated individuals. Finally, the MNT assay was calibrated to the WHO reference standard to enable reporting of results in international units, thus facilitating comparison of immunogenicity data generated by different assays and/or laboratories. The MSD ECL assay has previously been calibrated. In conclusion, these validated assays for the evaluation of functional immune response and antibody titers following SARS-CoV-2 vaccination could provide a relatively simple standardized approach for accurately comparing immune responses to different vaccines and/or vaccination regimens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Adenoviral (Ad) vaccine vectors represent both a vehicle to present a novel antigen to the immune system as well as restimulation of immune responses against the Ad vector itself. To what degree Ad-specific CD8+ T cells are restimulated by Ad vector vaccination is unclear, although such knowledge would be important as vector-specific CD8+ T cell expansion could potentially further limit Ad vaccine efficacy beyond Ad-specific neutralizing antibody alone. Methodology/Principal Findings: Here we addressed this issue by measuring human Adenovirus serotype 5 (Ad5)-specific CD8+ T cells in recipients of the Merck Ad5 HIV-1 vaccine vector before, during, and after vaccination by multicolor flow cytometry. Ad5-specific CD8+ T-cells were detectable in 95% of subjects prior to vaccination, and displayed primarily an effector-type functional profile and phenotype. Peripheral blood Ad5-specific CD8+ T-cell numbers expanded after Ad5-HIV vaccination in all subjects, but differential expansion kinetics were noted in some baseline Ad5-neutralizing antibody (Ad5 nAb) seronegative subjects compared to baseline Ad5 nAb seropositive subjects. However, in neither group did vaccination alter polyfunctionality, mucosal targeting marker expression, or memory phenotype of Ad5-specific CD8+ T-cells. Conclusions: These data indicate that repeat Ad5-vector administration in humans expands Ad5-specific CD8+ T-cells without overtly affecting their functional capacity or phenotypic properties. This is a secondary analysis of samples collected during the 016 trial. Results of the Merck 016 trial safety and immunogenicity have been previously published in the journal of clinical infectious diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]