CureVac N.V. announced the publication of preclinical data demonstrating the induction of robust antibody and T cell responses of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate, CVnCoV, in non-human primates. Furthermore, rhesus macaques were shown to be protected from challenge infection with SARS-CoV-2 following vaccination with 8µg of CVnCoV. The data provided important evidence on the immunogenicity and protective efficacy of CVnCoV at low doses, supporting the ongoing international clinical Phase 2b/3 efficacy study applying a 12µg dose. The full manuscript of the preclinical data is available on the pre-print server bioRxiv. Within the study, CVnCoV was tested in rhesus macaques at 8µg per dose following a two-dose vaccination schedule at day 0 and day 28. Robust humoral and cellular immune responses include high levels of spike protein and RBD specific binding, virus neutralizing antibodies and T cells. Upon challenge infection, vaccinated animals showed a strongly reduced viral load in the upper respiratory tract (nose and throat) and full protection of the lower respiratory tract (lungs), where the virus was not detectable.