Scientists in Germany say they've made significant progress with a nasal vaccine that can shut down a Covid-19 infection at its first foothold in the body. The vaccine uses a live but weakened form of the coronavirus, which has shown promising results in hamster studies.
In these experiments, two doses of the vaccine blocked the virus from copying itself in the animals' upper airways, achieving "sterilizing immunity" and preventing illness. This is a long-sought goal of the pandemic, as current vaccines primarily focus on protecting against severe disease rather than halting infection altogether.
While this nasal vaccine still has to pass more tests before it's ready for use, other nasal vaccines are already in use or nearing completion in clinical trials. China and India have rolled out vaccines given through the nasal tissues, but effectiveness data is limited, and researchers are eager to see if these approaches truly work in humans.
The US is currently struggling with the pandemic, with hundreds of Americans still dying daily as Covid-19 continues to simmer in the background of our return to normal life. Researchers hope that next-generation vaccines, which aim to shut down the virus before it makes us sick and prevent its spread, could make a significant difference.
One way scientists are trying to achieve this is by boosting mucosal immunity, enhancing immune defenses in the tissues that line the upper airways, where the virus would land and begin to infect cells. This approach has been tried before, with some success against diseases like anthrax and rabies.
The new nasal vaccine uses a technique called codon pair deoptimization, which manipulates the genetic material of the virus to make it harder for cells to translate. This hobbles the virus so that it can be shown to the immune system without making the body sick.
In hamster studies, the live but weakened vaccine performed better than other types of vaccines, including mRNA-based and adenovirus-facilitated vaccines. The researchers think this is because the vaccine closely mimics the process of a natural infection.
However, caution is warranted, as the vaccine still has to pass more tests before it's ready for use. Vaccine experts say that while the results look encouraging, there are many hurdles to overcome before this vaccine can become widely available.
Other nasal vaccines are also being developed and tested in humans, including one produced cheaply in chicken eggs and another using a live but weakened version of the virus. These studies may provide more insights into the effectiveness of these approaches.
Despite the promise of this technology, there are challenges to consider, such as the difficulty of delivering inhaled vaccines to respiratory infections like flu, which has limited success in adults due to pre-existing immune memory. Still, some potent vaccines use live attenuated viruses, and researchers are optimistic that this approach can be refined to produce effective Covid-19 vaccines.
Ultimately, the goal is to develop a pan-coronavirus vaccine that induces mucosal immunity and is long-lived, which could provide significant protection against Covid-19 and future respiratory infections.
In these experiments, two doses of the vaccine blocked the virus from copying itself in the animals' upper airways, achieving "sterilizing immunity" and preventing illness. This is a long-sought goal of the pandemic, as current vaccines primarily focus on protecting against severe disease rather than halting infection altogether.
While this nasal vaccine still has to pass more tests before it's ready for use, other nasal vaccines are already in use or nearing completion in clinical trials. China and India have rolled out vaccines given through the nasal tissues, but effectiveness data is limited, and researchers are eager to see if these approaches truly work in humans.
The US is currently struggling with the pandemic, with hundreds of Americans still dying daily as Covid-19 continues to simmer in the background of our return to normal life. Researchers hope that next-generation vaccines, which aim to shut down the virus before it makes us sick and prevent its spread, could make a significant difference.
One way scientists are trying to achieve this is by boosting mucosal immunity, enhancing immune defenses in the tissues that line the upper airways, where the virus would land and begin to infect cells. This approach has been tried before, with some success against diseases like anthrax and rabies.
The new nasal vaccine uses a technique called codon pair deoptimization, which manipulates the genetic material of the virus to make it harder for cells to translate. This hobbles the virus so that it can be shown to the immune system without making the body sick.
In hamster studies, the live but weakened vaccine performed better than other types of vaccines, including mRNA-based and adenovirus-facilitated vaccines. The researchers think this is because the vaccine closely mimics the process of a natural infection.
However, caution is warranted, as the vaccine still has to pass more tests before it's ready for use. Vaccine experts say that while the results look encouraging, there are many hurdles to overcome before this vaccine can become widely available.
Other nasal vaccines are also being developed and tested in humans, including one produced cheaply in chicken eggs and another using a live but weakened version of the virus. These studies may provide more insights into the effectiveness of these approaches.
Despite the promise of this technology, there are challenges to consider, such as the difficulty of delivering inhaled vaccines to respiratory infections like flu, which has limited success in adults due to pre-existing immune memory. Still, some potent vaccines use live attenuated viruses, and researchers are optimistic that this approach can be refined to produce effective Covid-19 vaccines.
Ultimately, the goal is to develop a pan-coronavirus vaccine that induces mucosal immunity and is long-lived, which could provide significant protection against Covid-19 and future respiratory infections.
OMG have u guys heard? 
Scientists in Germany just made major progress with a nasal Covid vaccine 
! They took a live but weakened coronavirus & it worked like a charm on hamsters 
, blocking the virus from copying itself & achieving "sterilizing immunity" 
! This is a HUGE deal because right now our vaccines are more focused on preventing severe disease rather than stopping the infection altogether 
. I'm hyped that they're working on mucosal immunity to boost defenses in our upper airways 
, which could make a major difference in fighting Covid-19 & future respiratory infections 
! Can't wait for these new vaccines to hit the market & hopefully bring us closer to "normal" life again 
I'm thinking it's fishy how they're rushing this nasal vaccine through clinical trials. I mean, have you seen the hamster studies? That's not exactly human trials, right? And what's with the codon pair deoptimization technique? Sounds like some fancy sciency mumbo-jumbo to me 
. What if it's not as safe and effective for humans as they think? We should be cautious here... 
. We've seen that before with other nasal vaccines, and it's not just a matter of 'it works in hamsters, so it'll work in humans'. They need to make sure it doesn't cause any adverse reactions or anything 
. And what about the delivery process? I mean, we all know how hard it is to get people to take their flu shots on time 
.
. It's not just about stopping severe disease; it's about preventing illness altogether. And if they can make this work, imagine the impact it could have on future respiratory infections 
!
It's crazy to think that we've been fighting this pandemic for so long, but our meds have only really targeted severe disease cases. If this vaccine can do what it says it can, that'd be huge 
It makes sense that if we can strengthen our defenses in the upper airways, we could prevent illness altogether. And using a weakened live virus to do it? That's genius 
. I mean, the fact that it's showing promising results in hamster studies is a major win, and if it can translate to humans, that'd be amazing 
. We still need to see more tests and data before this vaccine hits the market 
. And yeah, other nasal vaccines are already being tested, but this one's got some unique tech behind it, so that's a plus 
.
. That's a area we've been neglecting for too long, and if this vaccine can help us get it right, that'd be a huge win 
. Fingers crossed it'll make a real difference soon! 
. The fact that it outperformed other types of vaccines in hamster studies is definitely promising.
.
anyway, I guess it's all about progress and taking small steps towards the goal... but what does it even mean to have "sterilizing immunity"? is that just a fancy way of saying we're no longer human anymore? 
. I mean, who doesn't want to sniff out the virus instead of getting poked with a needle? 
It's like they're trying to turn Covid into a bad cold – you know, one of those things where you just shrug and say "meh, I'll survive." 
Anyway, I'm not exactly sure how this works, but it sounds like it's giving hamsters some serious immune system superpowers. Maybe we can just give humans some chicken eggs and be done with it? 
Just kidding (or am I?)!
. And the fact that this vaccine uses a weakened but live form of the coronavirus makes it so much more effective than some of those other vaccines out there 
. But I'm definitely feeling optimistic about this one - it could be a game-changer in our fight against Covid-19 
.
- When you finally get a cold from your grandma 
It would be awesome if this tech can be refined to produce effective Covid-19 vaccines that prevent infection altogether 
.
. But I genuinely believe that if we can get this right, it could change everything for people living with Covid-19 and those who are most vulnerable to the illness