New Nasal Covid-19 Vaccine Shows Early Promise in Humans
Scientists at the Max Delbruck Center for Molecular Medicine in Berlin say they've made significant breakthroughs in developing a nasal vaccine against COVID-19. The new approach aims to create immunity by targeting the upper airways, where the virus first enters the body.
In recent animal studies, two doses of the weakened but live Covid-19 virus proved to be highly effective in blocking the virus from multiplying in the hamsters' upper respiratory tract. This achievement marks a crucial step towards creating "sterilizing immunity," preventing illness and infection in humans.
The vaccine's mechanism is based on codon pair deoptimization, a technique that manipulates genetic material to weaken the virus without making it contagious to humans. Researchers believe this approach could lead to a more effective and longer-lasting immune response.
While promising results have been shown in animal studies, several caveats remain before the vaccine can be widely released. Clinical trials in humans are still needed, and experts caution against unwarranted optimism. Furthermore, even if successful, the new vaccine may face competition from other nasally administered vaccines already in development.
Four nasal vaccines for COVID-19 have reached late-stage testing in people, according to the World Health Organization's vaccine tracker. Two of these vaccines rely on harmless adenoviruses to deliver instructions into human cells, while others use live but weakened versions of the virus.
One such vaccine, developed by Codagenix, is currently undergoing studies in South America and Africa. The German research team closely watches the results, as their own vaccine uses a similar approach.
However, experts worry that respiratory infections may prove difficult targets for inhaled vaccines. FluMist, a live but weakened flu virus vaccine, has shown limited effectiveness in adults due to existing immune memory from previous infections.
Despite these challenges, researchers remain optimistic about the potential of nasal vaccines and live attenuated viruses. While there are concerns regarding accessibility and safety, particularly for individuals with compromised immunity, experts believe that this approach holds promise for creating more effective COVID-19 treatments.
Scientists at the Max Delbruck Center for Molecular Medicine in Berlin say they've made significant breakthroughs in developing a nasal vaccine against COVID-19. The new approach aims to create immunity by targeting the upper airways, where the virus first enters the body.
In recent animal studies, two doses of the weakened but live Covid-19 virus proved to be highly effective in blocking the virus from multiplying in the hamsters' upper respiratory tract. This achievement marks a crucial step towards creating "sterilizing immunity," preventing illness and infection in humans.
The vaccine's mechanism is based on codon pair deoptimization, a technique that manipulates genetic material to weaken the virus without making it contagious to humans. Researchers believe this approach could lead to a more effective and longer-lasting immune response.
While promising results have been shown in animal studies, several caveats remain before the vaccine can be widely released. Clinical trials in humans are still needed, and experts caution against unwarranted optimism. Furthermore, even if successful, the new vaccine may face competition from other nasally administered vaccines already in development.
Four nasal vaccines for COVID-19 have reached late-stage testing in people, according to the World Health Organization's vaccine tracker. Two of these vaccines rely on harmless adenoviruses to deliver instructions into human cells, while others use live but weakened versions of the virus.
One such vaccine, developed by Codagenix, is currently undergoing studies in South America and Africa. The German research team closely watches the results, as their own vaccine uses a similar approach.
However, experts worry that respiratory infections may prove difficult targets for inhaled vaccines. FluMist, a live but weakened flu virus vaccine, has shown limited effectiveness in adults due to existing immune memory from previous infections.
Despite these challenges, researchers remain optimistic about the potential of nasal vaccines and live attenuated viruses. While there are concerns regarding accessibility and safety, particularly for individuals with compromised immunity, experts believe that this approach holds promise for creating more effective COVID-19 treatments.
like how that Nasal Covid-19 Vaccine sounds super promising! I'm all about it! 
they gotta get this tested on humans ASAP tho... fingers crossed it's gonna be a game changer 
! i mean can you even imagine being able to sniff out the virus and get rid of it in your body instantly? 
i've been following this research for ages and finally there's some real progress being made! 
. and that the idea of sterilizing immunity is just mind blown 
This is crazy! I mean, we've already had a lot of issues with these nasal covid vaccines in animal studies being highly effective but then failing miserably when it comes to humans 
. And now they're like 'oh no worry, let's just use live attenuated viruses' 
... I'm not buying it. What if the weakened virus still causes some kind of reaction? We need more human trials ASAP 
.
.
And don't even get me started on the animal studies. Hamsters, really? They're not even close to human beings. How can we trust that this vaccine is safe for us? 
. Mark my words, this nasal COVID-19 vaccine is gonna be a recipe for disaster... or at least a major money-maker for those in the know 
& less anxiety 4 people who get shots all the time 
. And if it can create "sterilizing immunity" that'd be amazing 
. I'm not gonna lie, when I heard about fluMist having limited effectiveness with live but weakened viruses, it made me think if this would work for Covid too 
. I mean, we've been down this road before with flu shots that didn't quite live up to expectations (see FluMist 
). So yeah, optimism is one thing, but let's not get ahead of ourselves just yet 
. We need more proof and a lot less hype 
.
... the idea of targeting the upper airways sounds like a game-changer to me 
. I mean, who doesn't want to reduce congestion and keep those pesky viruses from taking hold? 
. Those animal studies were promising, but humans are a different story altogether. Let's just hope these researchers can iron out the kinks and bring this vaccine to market without too many bumps along the way 
. It's gonna be interesting to see how this one plays out...