Scientists in Germany have made significant breakthroughs in developing a nasal vaccine that could potentially shut down a Covid-19 infection before it even begins to cause symptoms. In experiments conducted on hamsters, the new vaccine was found to be highly effective at preventing illness and achieving "sterilizing immunity". The vaccine works by using a live but weakened form of the coronavirus, which is then introduced into the nasal tissues.
The approach taken by the German researchers has been shown to work significantly better than other types of vaccines, including mRNA-based vaccines. In hamster studies, two doses of the nasal vaccine created a much stronger immune response than either two doses of an mRNA-based vaccine or one that uses an adenovirus to ferry the vaccine instructions into cells.
The vaccine's effectiveness is thought to be due to its ability to closely mimic the natural process of infection, which allows it to induce mucosal immunity - the body's defense against viruses and other pathogens. This type of immunity is long-lasting and provides protection against a wide range of targets on the virus.
However, despite these promising results, caution is warranted. The vaccine still needs to undergo more testing before it can be approved for use in humans. Additionally, researchers are concerned that respiratory infections remain a tough target for inhaled vaccines, and the effectiveness of this new approach may depend on its ability to overcome these challenges.
The development of nasal vaccines has been a promising area of research, with several other candidates reaching late-stage testing in people around the world. The German vaccine is one of four nasal vaccines currently undergoing clinical trials, with results from another study, led by Codagenix, expected later this year.
While the prospect of a pan-coronavirus vaccine that induces mucosal immunity and is long-lived may seem like science fiction, it has been a goal of researchers since the early days of vaccination. The development of vaccines against measles, mumps and rubella using live attenuated viruses demonstrates that this approach can be effective in certain contexts.
However, even with these promising results, there are concerns about the safety of live vaccines for people with compromised immunity. "Although it's strongly attenuated, it's still a real virus," says Emanuel Wyler, one of the researchers behind the new vaccine. "It would have to be used carefully."
The approach taken by the German researchers has been shown to work significantly better than other types of vaccines, including mRNA-based vaccines. In hamster studies, two doses of the nasal vaccine created a much stronger immune response than either two doses of an mRNA-based vaccine or one that uses an adenovirus to ferry the vaccine instructions into cells.
The vaccine's effectiveness is thought to be due to its ability to closely mimic the natural process of infection, which allows it to induce mucosal immunity - the body's defense against viruses and other pathogens. This type of immunity is long-lasting and provides protection against a wide range of targets on the virus.
However, despite these promising results, caution is warranted. The vaccine still needs to undergo more testing before it can be approved for use in humans. Additionally, researchers are concerned that respiratory infections remain a tough target for inhaled vaccines, and the effectiveness of this new approach may depend on its ability to overcome these challenges.
The development of nasal vaccines has been a promising area of research, with several other candidates reaching late-stage testing in people around the world. The German vaccine is one of four nasal vaccines currently undergoing clinical trials, with results from another study, led by Codagenix, expected later this year.
While the prospect of a pan-coronavirus vaccine that induces mucosal immunity and is long-lived may seem like science fiction, it has been a goal of researchers since the early days of vaccination. The development of vaccines against measles, mumps and rubella using live attenuated viruses demonstrates that this approach can be effective in certain contexts.
However, even with these promising results, there are concerns about the safety of live vaccines for people with compromised immunity. "Although it's strongly attenuated, it's still a real virus," says Emanuel Wyler, one of the researchers behind the new vaccine. "It would have to be used carefully."
This is some cool stuff! So basically what they've done is created a nasal vaccine that's like a superhero for your nose 
. It uses a weakened form of the coronavirus and introduces it into the nasal tissues, which triggers a strong immune response. The best part? It seems to work way better than those mRNA-based vaccines we've been hearing about lately 
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. And if it can induce mucosal immunity, which is basically like a superpower for your nose and lungs 
, then that's even more awesome!
. The vaccine needs to go through more testing before it's approved for humans, and there are concerns about its safety, especially for people with compromised immunity 
.
. Fingers crossed they can iron out the kinks and get it to market soon 
!
nasal vaccines could be the way forward 
might be a game changer for future pandemics 
but gotta wait and see how it plays out in humans 
live viruses are still a thing of caution 
! The idea that we might have a vaccine that can shut down Covid before it even starts causing symptoms is crazy 
. And the fact that it's already shown to be more effective than other types of vaccines, like mRNA-based ones, is a huge deal 
.
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. But from what I've read, the researchers seem to be taking that seriously and wanting to use it carefully 
. Still, this is a huge step forward in the fight against Covid and other respiratory infections - fingers crossed we'll see it make it to humans soon 
!
I'm loving this breakthrough! A nasal vaccine that can prevent Covid-19 from even taking hold? That's like having a force field against the virus 
. And the best part? It could be used against all sorts of respiratory infections, not just Covid-19 
.
. But overall, this is a huge step forward and I'm all for it 
! a nasal vaccine that can shut down covid-19 before symptoms even start? that's like something out of sci-fi movies! but seriously, it sounds like this vaccine could really work. i mean, the fact that it's got mucosal immunity and is long-lived is huge. it's just unfortunate that it still needs more testing before it can be approved for human use.
. i'm not sure about safety concerns for people with compromised immunity though... like, wyler said it's still a live virus even if it's weakened, so that does make me a bit nervous 
I can imagine how scary Covid-19 was back then. But now, hearing about this new nasal vaccine that could potentially prevent illness before symptoms even appear... it's like a glimmer of hope! 
And it's crazy to think that scientists were able to develop something that uses live but weakened coronavirus to create mucosal immunity - it's like our bodies are actually fighting off the virus in a more natural way. 
Fingers crossed it'll make a difference soon!
.
. Can you imagine if we could eradicate Covid-19 forever? The world would be a better place 
. it's like they're on the right track with this live but weakened coronavirus thing... could be a game changer for anyone who's struggled with boosters or allergic reactions 
. Codagenix just released results on their nasal vaccine too, and they're showing similar promising results 
. Can't wait for human trials to begin! 
. It makes sense that a vaccine targeting the nasal tissues could be effective 
. And who knows, maybe one day we'll have a pan-coronavirus vaccine like they're talking about 
On the other hand, I'm glad to see researchers being careful and considering the safety concerns 
. Anyway, it'll be interesting to see how this vaccine pans out in human trials 
. I'm not saying it's gonna change my life or anything, but if this works for humans, that's awesome 
We've come a long way since the days of polio vaccines and measles shots, but it's always exciting to see new breakthroughs. Fingers crossed this one works out 
sounds like science fiction but apparently its possible now. i mean, its cool that germans figured out a way to make a nasal vaccine work so much better than those other types of vaccines... but what if it does trigger some kind of weird side effect on people who already have compromised immune systems? like emmanuel wyler said, "it's still a real virus"... gotta be careful i guess
. And the best part is that this vaccine works by mimicking the natural process of infection, which means it's long-lasting and can protect us against all sorts of viruses 
! 
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. This could be the key to getting us out of this pandemic 
