Scientists in Germany say they've been able to create a nasal vaccine that can shut down a Covid-19 infection at its source in the nose and throat. The vaccine uses a weakened form of the coronavirus and has shown promising results in hamster studies, where it achieved "sterilizing immunity" and prevented illness.
The researchers manipulated the genetic material in the virus to make it harder for cells to translate, essentially hobbling the virus so that the immune system can recognize and fight it without making the person sick. The vaccine works by boosting mucosal immunity, which is crucial for preventing the virus from entering the body through the upper airways.
The results of this study are encouraging, but more testing needs to be done before the vaccine can be used on humans. Researchers are working on phase I clinical trials with a Swiss company called RocketVax. The study began in 2021, before the Omicron variant was around, so the vaccine tested in these experiments was made with the original strain of the coronavirus.
While this vaccine shows promise, experts say caution is warranted. Other nasal vaccines are already being developed and tested, but they have had mixed results. Researchers hope that a pan-coronavirus vaccine that induces mucosal immunity could be more effective against future variants.
There are several other nasal vaccines in development, including one produced cheaply in chicken eggs and another using a live but weakened version of the virus. Results from these studies may come later this year. The German team is eagerly watching for data on these other vaccines to see if they show promise.
The researchers manipulated the genetic material in the virus to make it harder for cells to translate, essentially hobbling the virus so that the immune system can recognize and fight it without making the person sick. The vaccine works by boosting mucosal immunity, which is crucial for preventing the virus from entering the body through the upper airways.
The results of this study are encouraging, but more testing needs to be done before the vaccine can be used on humans. Researchers are working on phase I clinical trials with a Swiss company called RocketVax. The study began in 2021, before the Omicron variant was around, so the vaccine tested in these experiments was made with the original strain of the coronavirus.
While this vaccine shows promise, experts say caution is warranted. Other nasal vaccines are already being developed and tested, but they have had mixed results. Researchers hope that a pan-coronavirus vaccine that induces mucosal immunity could be more effective against future variants.
There are several other nasal vaccines in development, including one produced cheaply in chicken eggs and another using a live but weakened version of the virus. Results from these studies may come later this year. The German team is eagerly watching for data on these other vaccines to see if they show promise.
! I mean, think about it - we've had two years of living with Covid, and all the variants that came with it. If they can really make a nasal vaccine work like this, that's huge. We're not talking about some new-fangled super-tech here, just good old-fashioned science 
. And yeah, I know, more testing is needed before we can all high-five each other about it 
... but still, the fact that they've already shown promising results in hamster studies is a big deal. Who knows, maybe we'll finally see some real progress here soon 
I've been hearing whispers about this nasal vaccine in Germany, and I gotta say, it's looking pretty promising 
. I mean, we all know how hard it's been to create an effective Covid-19 vaccine, but this one uses a weakened coronavirus that's basically like a pacifier for the virus - it can't infect cells but still triggers an immune response 
.
. Of course, experts are being cautious and all, but I'm hoping this one will be the game-changer we've been waiting for 
, and others using live-but-weakened viruses. Fingers crossed they show promise too! Maybe by end of year we'll have another option to add to our Covid-19 arsenal 
So I was reading about this new nasal vaccine that's been made in Germany, and I'm kinda stoked 
? I mean, we've all been stuck with Covid-19 for far too long, and a vaccine that can stop it from taking hold sounds like a game-changer. But at the same time, I'm also thinking about how this is going to play out in real life... like, what if other variants come along and it doesn't work? 
And what's with all these different nasal vaccines being developed - do we really need that many options? 
. It makes total sense that boosting mucosal immunity would be a game changer in preventing Covid-19 infections, especially since the virus is all about getting into our airways and wreaking havoc from there. I just hope they can iron out the kinks and get this vaccine to humans ASAP 
. I mean, who wouldn't want a shot that can basically 'sterilize' your nose from Covid? 
The fact that other nasal vaccines are in development is also super promising - maybe we'll have some real options for tackling the pandemic soon 
! I mean, who wouldn't want a simple solution to get rid of Covid-19 once and for all? It's awesome that the scientists in Germany were able to create something that works by boosting mucosal immunity... basically just making it hard for the virus to get into our noses in the first place 
. Now, I'm not saying this is gonna fix everything and solve all our problems (although that would be awesome 
especially since the virus is always mutatin' and causin' new problems... imagine if we could just shut down the infection in the nose and throat from the start 
... also wonder how much cheaper a vaccine made in chicken eggs would be compared to this one, maybe that's a future development worth lookin' into 
. Of course, more testing needs to be done before we can start using it on humans, but I'm keeping an eye on this one 
. Fingers crossed for a breakthrough! 
! But, I totally get why experts are being cautious - there are other nasal vaccines out there with mixed results 
.
. But overall, I think this is some cool science being done over here 
?? i mean i know we should be stoked about the covid vaccine and all, but seriously they're so comfy like i can wear them all day and not even feel them 
... anyway back to the vaccine, it's cool that germany came up with this one, but now we gotta wait for those phase I clinical trials to see if it's safe for humans 
️
It's wild to think about now that there are nasal vaccines in the works! The idea of a vaccine that can just shut down an infection at its source is still pretty mind-blowing. And it's awesome that scientists are working on a pan-coronavirus vaccine, you know, to keep up with those pesky variants 
. But for real, I'm excited to see how these other nasal vaccines turn out - the one made in chicken eggs sounds like a game-changer! And can we just say that it's a little ironic that we're finally getting close to some sort of normalcy, but also kinda worried about future variants? 
It's like, progress is sweet, but don't get too comfortable 
I mean, can't they just make it properly like the ones we have now? At least those are tested to some extent before hitting the market. This whole thing feels like a hot mess to me 
! a weakened form of the coronavirus used in the vaccine has shown promising results in hamster studies (who knew hamsters would be our ticket to saving humanity 
.
. more testing needs to happen before we can even think about using this vaccine on humans 
! we need to see which one comes out on top, but fingers crossed for this German team 
It's wild to think that we can create a vaccine that just disables the virus, like it's a bad guy that needs to be taken down. The idea of boosting mucosal immunity is pretty cool too - it's like our immune system has a special superpower to keep us safe from all these tiny invaders 
. I mean, it's promising that it achieved "sterilizing immunity" in hamsters, but we're talking about a completely different species here 
. And what's with the weird genetic modification? Is that really necessary? 
. Don't get me wrong, sterilizing immunity sounds like a game-changer, but let's not forget those hamsters aren't exactly human test subjects