Safety and Immunogenicity of a Messenger RNA-Based Cytomegalovirus Vaccine in Healthy Adults: Results From a Phase 1, Randomized, Clinical Trial.

BACKGROUND: This phase 1 trial evaluated the safety, reactogenicity, and immunogenicity of mRNA-1647, an mRNA-based cytomegalovirus (CMV) vaccine, in CMV-seronegative and -seropositive adults.

METHODS: Participants were randomly assigned to receive 30, 90, 180, or 300 µg of mRNA-1647 or placebo on a 0-, 2-, and 6-month schedule and followed for 12 months after the last dose.

RESULTS: A total of 154 (80 CMV-seronegative and 74 CMV-seropositive) participants were enrolled; 118 participants were randomized to mRNA-1647 and 36 to placebo. Mean (SD) age was 32.5 (8.6) and 35.1 (8.9) years in the placebo and mRNA-1647 groups, respectively, in phase B (63% and 64% female) and 42.5 (6.2) and 33.3 (8.7) years, respectively, in phase C (2% and 16% female). No deaths, related serious adverse events, or adverse events of special interest were reported. Most adverse reactions were grade ≤2 severity. Increased neutralizing antibody, binding antibody, and antigen-specific cell-mediated responses were observed across mRNA-1647 treatment groups, regardless of CMV serostatus.

CONCLUSIONS: This phase 1, first-in-human trial demonstrated mRNA-1647 has an acceptable safety profile in adults and elicits humoral and cellular immune responses.

TRIALS REGISTRATION: NCT03382405; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03382405.