Scientists in Germany claim to have created a nasal vaccine that can effectively shut down Covid-19 infections by targeting the initial entry point of the virus in the upper airways. The new vaccine, which utilizes a weakened but live form of the coronavirus, has shown promising results in hamster studies, achieving "sterilizing immunity" and preventing illness.
In these animal trials, two doses of the nasal vaccine demonstrated superior performance over other vaccines tested in the same study, including mRNA-based and adenovirus-based options. Researchers believe that the live but weakened form of the virus closely mimics a natural infection process, resulting in a more effective immune response.
The German team's approach takes cues from an ancient idea in vaccine development: weakening a virus to render it harmless while allowing the immune system to recognize and fight it off. This technique, known as codon pair deoptimization, makes the virus harder for cells to translate, rendering it non-infectious without causing illness.
While these results are encouraging, experts caution that the vaccine still requires further testing before human trials can begin. However, the progress made by this team is a welcome development in an ongoing pandemic that continues to affect hundreds of Americans daily.
Four nasal vaccines for Covid-19 have already reached late-stage testing in humans, according to the World Health Organization's vaccine tracker. These include vaccines utilizing harmless adenoviruses and others using live but weakened forms of the virus, such as the one developed by Codagenix.
However, researchers warn that respiratory infections can be challenging targets for inhaled vaccines, particularly due to the potential risks associated with live viruses. As one expert noted, fluMist, a similar vaccine approach, has shown promise in children but less effectiveness in adults.
The development of effective nasal vaccines remains crucial in combating Covid-19, especially considering the ongoing risk posed by new variants and the need for long-lasting immune protection.
In these animal trials, two doses of the nasal vaccine demonstrated superior performance over other vaccines tested in the same study, including mRNA-based and adenovirus-based options. Researchers believe that the live but weakened form of the virus closely mimics a natural infection process, resulting in a more effective immune response.
The German team's approach takes cues from an ancient idea in vaccine development: weakening a virus to render it harmless while allowing the immune system to recognize and fight it off. This technique, known as codon pair deoptimization, makes the virus harder for cells to translate, rendering it non-infectious without causing illness.
While these results are encouraging, experts caution that the vaccine still requires further testing before human trials can begin. However, the progress made by this team is a welcome development in an ongoing pandemic that continues to affect hundreds of Americans daily.
Four nasal vaccines for Covid-19 have already reached late-stage testing in humans, according to the World Health Organization's vaccine tracker. These include vaccines utilizing harmless adenoviruses and others using live but weakened forms of the virus, such as the one developed by Codagenix.
However, researchers warn that respiratory infections can be challenging targets for inhaled vaccines, particularly due to the potential risks associated with live viruses. As one expert noted, fluMist, a similar vaccine approach, has shown promise in children but less effectiveness in adults.
The development of effective nasal vaccines remains crucial in combating Covid-19, especially considering the ongoing risk posed by new variants and the need for long-lasting immune protection.
The recent breakthrough from German scientists on creating a nasal vaccine that can effectively neutralize Covid-19 infections is undeniably promising. By employing a weakened yet live form of the virus, they've successfully replicated the natural infection process in hamster studies, resulting in robust sterilizing immunity. This novel approach utilizing codon pair deoptimization is quite fascinating and warrants further exploration.
just heard about this German nasal vaccine that's supposed to be a game-changer... I mean, it sounds crazy, but weakening the virus to make it harmless while still getting an effective response from the immune system? 
That codon pair deoptimization technique actually makes sense. It's like they're playing with the rules of how viruses work. The fact that it performed better in hamster studies than other vaccines is a good sign, but I'm curious to see how it does in humans. We've seen so many promising vaccine developments come and go... what's gonna stick? 
.
According to them, it uses a live but weakened form of the virus which is actually kinda cool because it makes our bodies build up some serious immunity 
. The fact that it beat out other vaccines tested in hamster studies (including mRNA and adenovirus-based ones) is pretty promising too 
. However, I'm not getting my hopes up just yet... we've all heard about how vaccine development can go awry 
. Still, it's a great step forward and the fact that they're exploring different approaches like codon pair deoptimization is super interesting 
. Can't wait to see what comes of this one 
! The fact that it's showing super promising results in hamster studies is insane 
And the way it works, kinda like mimicking a natural infection process, is total genius 
I mean, we've seen so many failed vaccine trials before, but this one seems different 
, but if it pans out... that would be a major win 
! The thing is, with all the variants popping up and new strains emerging, we really need something like this to keep us safe 
this is crazy! a nasal vaccine that can shut down covid-19 infections? that's like something out of a sci-fi movie! 
i've been following this development since it started, and to see it finally happening is so exciting! 
can you imagine being able to go back to normal life without constant worry about covid-19? 
! i mean we've been waiting for ages for something like this to happen, and it's amazing to see german scientists making progress 
! its so cool that they used a weakened form of covid to make the vaccine work...like who wouldn't want to see a weak virus 
. i'm all for trying new things and if this works out i'll be super stoked 
, but at least we're moving in the right direction 
like remember when we were first told about masks and social distancing? it feels like a lifetime ago 
. Codon pair deoptimization is a game-changer in making the virus harmless but still immunogenic. It's crazy how they've shown promising results in hamster studies already! 
and provide long-lasting immunity 
.
. We can't just rush into this without making sure the vaccine is safe and effective. But I'm optimistic here 
.