On Aug. 16, 2021, CureVac and GSK announced publication on the preprint server bioRxiv of preclinical data investigating immune responses as well as the protective efficacy of CureVacﾒs first-generation vaccine candidate, CVnCoV, and second-generation vaccine candidate, CV2CoV, against SARS-CoV-2 challenge in non-human primates.

Better activation of innate and adaptive immune responses was achieved with CV2CoV, resulting in faster response onset, higher titers of antibodies and stronger memory B and T cell activation as compared to the first-generation candidate, CVnCoV. Higher antibody neutralizing capacity was observed with CV2CoV across all selected variants, including the Beta, Delta and Lambda variants.