Category: Vaccine

A recent study has revealed the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines in preventing long COVID.

While vaccines have proved effective to prevent severe COVID-19, their impact to prevent long-term symptoms have not yet been fully understood. But a research team at the University of Oxford'sNuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology, and Musculoskeletal Sciences (NDORMS) has found that vaccination against COVID-19 consistently reduced the risk of long COVID symptoms.

Dani Prieto-Alhambra, Professor of Pharmaco- and device epidemiology, who led the study explained: Vaccines against COVID-19 were rapidly developed to tackle the pandemic and to date eight vaccines have received authorisation from international regulators including EMA and MHRA, with billions of doses delivered to date. These vaccines proved to be highly effective in preventing severe COVID-19 but its known that around 1 in 10 people suffer from persistent symptoms, what we call long COVID. We wanted to assess if COVID vaccines had any impact on long COVID symptoms, and obtained funding from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) to conduct a study to research this.

Published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, the study conducted extensive analyses using primary care electronic health records from the UK, Spain, and Estonia. The team examined data from more than 20 million vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals and identified cases of long COVID based on specific criteria defined by the WHO (World Health Organisation). The study focused on adults who were registered for at least 180 days in each respective country.

Across the different cohorts analysed, the researchers observed a significant decrease in the occurrence of long COVID among vaccinated individuals compared to those who were unvaccinated.

Dr Annika Jodicke, Senior Pharmacoepidemiologist and study co-lead, said: We were able to demonstrate how both vaccines prevented the development of persistent COVID symptoms. Additionally, we compared different vaccinations and found that the BNT162b2 vaccine (BioNTech/Pfizer) provided better protection against long COVID compared to the ChAdOx1 vaccine (Oxford/AstraZeneca).

Dr Marti Catala, Senior Data Scientist and lead author of the manuscript, added: Thanks to our international collaborations, we replicated our analyses using data from Spain and Estonia. Our findings were consistent across the three countries and many different populations, emphasising the critical role that vaccination plays in protecting individuals from the long-term consequences of COVID-19.

Funded by the NIHR through a specific call to research long COVID prevention and treatment, and with partial support from the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre (BRC), the study offers valuable insights to inform public health strategies and vaccination campaigns worldwide.

The study, 'The effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines to prevent longCOVID symptoms: staggered cohort study of data fromthe UK, Spain, and Estonia', is published inThe Lancet Respiratory Medicine.

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COVID-19 vaccines found to be effective in reducing long COVID symptoms - University of Oxford

In today's Medical Minute, we learn more about whether medical marijuana can cause an increased risk of irregular heartbeat and how a universal COVID-19 vaccine could help protect Americans from pandemics in the future.

Sunday, January 14th 2024, 9:38 am

By: News On 6

In today's Medical Minute, we learn more about whether medical marijuana can cause an increased risk of irregular heartbeat and how a universal COVID-19 vaccine could help protect Americans from pandemics in the future.

Continued here:

Medical Minute: Medical Marijuana and Universal COVID-19 Vaccines - News On 6

The World Health Organization (WHO) recently prequalified the novel oral poliovirus vaccine type 2 (nOPV2), the first time the group has ever prequalified a vaccine that is being used under the emergency use listing, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) announced yesterday.

Rollout of the new vaccine began in March 2021, and nearly 1 billion doses have already been administered across 35 countries. WHO prequalification, though, paves the way for more countries to receive the vaccine, which has played a key role in stemming outbreaks involving type 2 variant poliovirus (cVDPV2).

In GPEI's statement, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, PhD, called the prequalification a historic public health milestone. "Novel oral polio vaccine type 2 has blazed a trail for other new vaccines that address critical health emergencies, and its use demonstrates the utility of the EUL mechanism in helping to rapidly get new products to where theyre needed most."

GPEI added that WHO prequalification streamlines regulatory approval in countries that need it.

The vaccine's maker is Bio Farma Indonesia, and regulators in Indonesia have fully licensed it. It was developed by an international consortium that included the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the United Kingdom's National Institute for Biological Standards and Controls (NIBSC), theUS Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the US Food and Drug Administration, PATH, and the University of California at San Francisco.

Oral polio vaccine (OPV) is widely used in campaigns in lower-resource countries, because it is easy to store and transport and easy to administer. However, the attenuated virus in the oral vaccine can mutate and become virulent again, especially in settings where uptake is low.

GPEI said nOPV2 is as safe and effective as its predecessor, monovalent type 2 oral polio vaccine (mOPV2), but is more genetically stable. Estimates after 3 years of clinical use suggest nOPV2 is 80% less likely to seed new variant polio outbreaks.

Nigeria was one of the countries hardest hit by cVDPV2 outbreaks and has played a key role in nOPV2 rollout, GPEI said. Over the past 3 years, use of the vaccine reduced Nigerian cases by 85%. Globally, 325 cases were reported in 2023, down sharply from 689 cases in 2022.

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WHO prequalifies next-generation oral polio vaccine - University of Minnesota Twin Cities

Recent weeks have seen the first flu-related deaths of the season in Spokane and North Idaho.

There have been 201 hospitalizations related to lab-confirmed influenza in Spokane County this flu season. Of those hospitalizations, six individuals in Spokane County have died out of 24 deaths statewide.

Flu hospitalizations and deaths in Spokane County lag behind those seen in the previous season. At this time during the 2022-2023 season, 377 hospitalizations and 15 deaths in Spokane County had been recorded.

We continue to see an increase in hospitalizations from influenza in our community and we want to remind everybody that the best protection from influenza is vaccination, Spokane Regional Health District health officer Dr. Francisco Velzquez said in a statement. It is not too late to help protect yourself and others this flu season by speaking with your medical provider or pharmacist about the vaccine that is best for you.

The first two flu deaths in Spokane County were announced just before the new year. Both patients were in their 60s and had underlying health complications.

Unfortunately, this is a sad example of how serious flu can be, Velzquez said in a statement at the time. Our hearts are with the family and friends who are grieving this terrible loss.

The Panhandle Health District servicing North Idaho announced its first flu death Friday. The individual in their 20s was the ninth person in Idaho to die from the flu this season.

We want to remind residents that flu can be very serious, Jenna Dowell, Panhandles clinical services division administrator, said in a statement. We are seeing an increase in flu activity in our area and throughout the state. The best way to protect yourself, is to receive the flu vaccine.

Among the most evident symptoms of flu are fatigue, muscle aches and high fever. But other symptoms such as a sore throat, runny nose and cough can show up.

Symptoms tend to appear quickly and be the worst in the first few days until resolving within a week, but having underlying conditions can led to more serious complications.

Flu vaccines are available at many pharmacies in Spokane and provide protection within two weeks of receiving them.

If caught early enough, the flu can be treated by antiviral medication Tamiflu. The drug works by preventing the flu virus from multiplying in your body.

Over-the-counter medication can be useful to relieve pain or discomfort. The FDA recently put out a warning, however, that common decongestant ingredient phenylephrine is largely ineffective.

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Spokane County, North Idaho report first flu deaths in the season; vaccines still available - The Spokesman Review

In a recent study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, researchers assessed the BNT162b2 vaccines effectiveness in preventing severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections and severe disease among pediatric and adolescent individuals in the United States (US).

Study:Real-World Effectiveness of BNT162b2 Against Infection and Severe Diseases in Children and Adolescents. Image Credit:Ground Picture/Shutterstock.com

Randomized controlled trials evaluated BNT162b2 efficacy among children before SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant emergence.

The United States Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) expanded emergency use approval to individuals aged between 12 and 15 years and five to 11 years in October 2021. By April 2023, 40% of five-to-11-year-olds and 72% of 12-to-18-year-olds in the US received 1.0 vaccine doses.

Further research is required since prior observational studies had limited follow-up periods and data on vaccine-induced protection over the long run against coronavirus disease 2010 (COVID-19) due to the Omicron variant.

The researchers of the present study evaluated BNT162b2 vaccine effectiveness against SARS-CoV-2 among pediatric and adolescent individuals during the SARS-CoV-2 Delta- and Omicron-variant predominant periods in the US.

The researchers used electronic medical record data obtained from PEDSnet, a nationwide association of pediatric healthcare systems, including the Cincinnati Medical Center, Hospital of Philadelphia, Robert Lurie & Ann Hospital in Chicago, Colorado Hospital, Nemours Health System, Nationwide Hospital, Stanford Health, and Seattle Hospital.

The study participants included 77,392 adolescent individuals (including 45,007 vaccinees) during Delta predominance, 111,539 pediatric individuals (including 50,398 vaccinees), and 56,080 adolescent individuals (including 21,180 vaccinees) during Omicron predominance. The intervention was the initial BNT162b2 vaccine dose vs. no dose of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine.

The study outcomes included documented SARS-CoV-2 infection and severity, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and cardiovascular complications. The team performed Poisson regression modeling to determine the relative risk values, balancing for confounders by propensity score matching.

The team conducted clinical epidemiological regression (CER) research to investigate BNT162b2s effectiveness in preventing pediatric and adolescent SARS-CoV-2 infections.

The study cohorts were as follows: the first study cohort (Delta analysis among adolescents): individuals aged between 12 and 20 years in the Delta-dominant period between July 1 and November 30, 2021; the second study cohort (Omicron analysis among children): individuals aged between five and 11 years in the Omicron-dominant period between January 1 and November 30, 2022; and the third study cohort (Omicron analysis among adolescents): individuals aged between 12 and 20 years in the Omicron-dominant period between January 1 and November 30, 2022.

The team defined SARS-CoV-2 infections by positive polymerase chain reaction (PCR), serology, antigen testing, COVID-19 diagnosis, or occurrence of post-acute COVID-19 sequelae or multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS) in children, irrespective of symptom presence.

They considered ICU visits a week before and 13 days after documented COVID-19 as COVID-19-related.

The clinical outcomes of cardiac complications included the incidence of pericarditis, myocarditis, or MIS to allow for a comprehensive capture of potential cardiovascular complications after infection and evaluation of BNT162b2 vaccine effectiveness concerning cardiovascular risks.

During Delta predominance, BNT162b2 effectiveness was 98% against documented COVID-19 among adolescents without significant waning following the initial dose.

Analyzing cardiovascular complications showed no significant differences between vaccinees and non-vaccinees. The vaccine was highly effective against severe infections.

The relative risk of the vaccine for cardiovascular complications was 1.2. During Omicron predominance, BNT162b2 effectiveness against SARS-CoV-2 infection in children was 74%. The team observed higher vaccine effectiveness against moderate-severe SARS-CoV-2 infection (76%) and COVID-19-related ICU admissions (85%). The relative risk of the vaccine for cardiovascular complications was 0.3.

Among adolescents, BNT162b2s effectiveness against Omicron infections was 86%, with 85% against moderate-severe Omicron infection and 92% against COVID-19-related ICU admission. BNT162b2 effectiveness against Omicron was reduced after four months of the initial dose (from 82% to 71% among children and 91% to 83% among adolescents) and subsequently stabilized.

The team observed a lowered risk for cardiovascular complications among vaccinees during Omicron predominance, with a relative risk of 0.1 for the vaccine on cardiovascular complications.

In the sensitivity analyses, the effectiveness against SARS-CoV-2 BA.1, BA.2, BA.4, and BA.5 subvariants aligned with the primary findings, whereas BNT162b2 effectiveness was lower against BQ.1, XBB, and subsequent subvariants of the virus.

The comparison results indicated that the vaccine effectiveness was consistent across different sensitivity ranges, indicating the robustness of the primary findings.

Overall, the study findings showed high effectiveness against Delta and moderate effectiveness of the BNT162b2 vaccine against Omicron, with waning effectiveness over time.

Vaccinated children and adolescents had a lower risk of cardiac complications during Omicron predominance, and there was no significant difference between vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals during Delta predominance.

The study findings underscored the role of BNT162b2 in reducing SARS-CoV-2 transmission, minimizing sick leaves, and alleviating economic burdens during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Further research is required to explore the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines on emerging SARS-CoV-2 subvariants and their potential waning effects.

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BNT162b2 vaccine effectiveness in preventing SARS-CoV-2 infection and severe disease - News-Medical.Net

Two new US studies suggest that the bivalent (two-strain) Pfizer/BioNTech mRNA COVID-19 vaccine offered children and adolescents good protection against severe outcomes such as hospitalizationduring Delta and Omicron predominance and that vaccine-induced antibodies can neutralize Omicron BA.2.86 but that the subvariant has features linked to severe symptoms.

The bivalent vaccine was replaced by a monovalent (single-strain) version in fall 2023.

In an observational comparative-effectiveness study, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) analyzed data on vaccine effectiveness (VE) against infection and severe disease from 250,000 never-infected COVID-19 patients at pediatric health systems participating in the national PEDSnet collaboration. About half of participants had received at least one dose of the Pfizer vaccine during the Delta and Omicron waves that began in mid-2021 and 2022, respectively.

The results were published today in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Study participants were included in one of three cohorts: adolescents aged 12 to 20 years during the Delta wave (77,392 participants; 58.2% vaccinated) and children aged 5 to 11 years (111,539 participants; 45.2% vaccinated) and adolescents aged 12 to 20 (56,080 participants; 38.0% vaccinated) during the Omicron period.

During Delta, estimatedVE was 98.4% against infection among adolescents, with no significant waning after the first dose and no significant difference in cardiac complications between vaccinated and unvaccinated groups. During Omicron, estimated VE against infection in children was 74.3%. Higher VEs were seen against moderate or severe illness (75.5%) and intensive care unit (ICU) admission (84.9%).

Although the pandemic has been declared over, the risk of COVID-19 is present throughout U.S. communities.

In adolescents, estimated VE against Omicron infection was 85.5% (84.8% against moderate or severe COVID-19 and 91.5% against ICU admission). VE against Omicron waned 4 months after dose one and then leveled off. Vaccinated participants were at lower risk for cardiac complications during this period.

"Our assessment of vaccine effectiveness across diverse outcomes underscores the vaccine's pivotal role in reducing SARS-CoV-2 transmission, minimizing COVID-19related sick leaves, and alleviating economic burdens during the pandemic," the study authors concluded.

In a UPenn news release, co-senior author Christopher Forrest, MD, PhD, of UPenn and CHOP, noted that COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials enrolled children and adolescents last. "Although the pandemic has been declared over, the risk of COVID-19 is present throughout U.S. communities," he said. "Thus, more information is needed on effectiveness of vaccination delivered to children and adolescents during more recent time periods."

For a cell-culture study published yesterday in Cell, Ohio State University researchers analyzed neutralizing antibodies in serum samples from healthcare providers who received three monovalent vaccine doses or two monovalent doses followed by a bivalent booster and from first responders infected with COVID-19 during the Omicron XBB.1.5 wave.

They compared the ability of neutralizing antibodies to prevent infection by BA.2.86, the FLip XBB-derived variant, the wild-type virus, and several other variants. BA.2.86 is the ancestor of the currently dominant Omicron JN.1 variant and has more than 30 spike-protein mutations than its close Omicron relatives.

If you have less severe disease, the antibodies generated by infection are lowalmost 10-fold lower than vaccine-induced antibodies.

Bivalent vaccine-induced serum antibodies produced in healthcare providers were more efficient at neutralizing BA.2.86 than at neutralizing other Omicron variants, including XBB.1.5, which the authors said explains why BA.2.86 didn't cause a huge surge. But the three monovalent vaccines and previous XBB.1.5 infection were only marginally effective in preventing BA.2.86 infection.

Also, they found that BA.2.86 can infect the cells that line the lower lungs and fuse with the host cell membrane more efficiently, two features tied to severe COVID-19 symptoms.

"People who have had a COVID-19 infection should remember that omicron variants are less virulent compared to prior variants such as delta, meaning they don't make most people very sick," senior author Shan-Lu Liu, MD, PhD, of Ohio State, said in a university news release. "If you have less severe disease, the antibodies generated by infection are lowalmost 10-fold lower than vaccine-induced antibodies. That is why you cannot rely on natural infection alone for immunity."

Because the bivalent COVID-19 vaccine is less effective against BA.2.86 than the currently available monovalent version, Liu advised getting a booster.

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Bivalent COVID vaccine very effective against severe illness in children, study concludes - University of Minnesota Twin Cities

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Posted: January 12, 2024

People 65 years of age and older may receive another dose of updated vaccine to protect against severe illness from COVID-19, Canada's advisory body on immunizations said Friday.

The National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) released guidance on offering an additional dose of COVID-19 vaccines in the spring for people at high risk of severe illness from the pandemic virus.

The "discretionary" recommendation for another dose also applies to adults living in long-term care homes and similar settings for seniors.

Dawn Bowdish, a professor at McMaster University and Canada Research Chair in Aging and Immunity, has been following long-term care residents as part of her COVID-19 studies.

"I'm really supportive of continual vaccination for the most frail, older adults," Bowdish said.

Those six months of age and older who are moderately to severely immunocompromisedby another condition or treatment, such as organ transplant recipients, may also be offered a spring dose.

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The group said its recommendations continue to aim for goals announced last February "to minimizeserious illness and death while minimizing societal disruption" from the COVID-19 pandemic and transition away from the crisis phase towards long-term management.

In general, NACI recommends an interval of sixmonths from the last COVID-19 vaccine dose.

NACI's spring recommendations come as leading public health officials elsewhere said low vaccination rates against the latest versions of the virus that causes COVID-19 and influenza are putting pressure on healthcare systems this winter.

In the United States, several European countries, and other parts of the world, there have been reports of rising hospitalizations linked to respiratory infections in recent weeks. Death rates have also ticked up among older adults in some regions, but far below the COVID pandemic peak.

Spain's government has reinstated mask-wearing requirements at healthcare facilities, as have some U.S. and Canadian hospital networks.

"Too many people are in need of serious medical care for flu, for COVID, when we can prevent it," said Maria Van Kerkhove, the World Health Organization's (WHO) interim director of epidemic and pandemic preparedness.

She cited "incredibly low"vaccination rates against flu and COVID in many countries this season, as the world tries to move past the pandemic and its restrictions.

Governments have struggled to communicate the risks still posed by COVID and the benefits of vaccination since a global public health emergency was declared over in May 2023, infectious disease experts and health officials said.

WATCH | Low updated COVID-19 vaccination rates in seniors concerns doctors:

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Only 19.4 per centof U.S. adults have received this season's COVID vaccine based on the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention's National Immunization Survey, despite a recommendation that all adults get an updated shot to protect against serious illness.

That compares roughly with 17 per cent of adults who got the bivalent booster in the 2022-2023 season, based on actual vaccine data reported to the CDC by states.

In Canada, federal figures show 15 per cent of the population aged five and up had received an updated COVID-19 vaccine by Dec. 3.

The group said national vaccination coverage last spring was about 11 per cent in people 65 and up.

Bowdish shares concerns of health officials elsewhere about low vaccine uptake.

"I worry it'll be the same 12 to 15 per cent in the spring, and the next fall."

In Europe, the new COVID shots are recommended for high-risk groups only, such as seniors and the immunocompromised. Among these groups, the WHO says there should be 100 per centcoverage.

COVID rates are also rising in the southern hemisphere during their summer, the WHO said. It is not a seasonal virus.

The vaccines are still very effective at preventing serious illness, even if they do not block infection, experts said.

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Spring vaccine dose suggested to protect seniors in Canada from severe COVID - CBC.ca

Scientists have developed a vaccine that could potentially help prevent some types of pancreatic and colorectal cancers from recurring.

The shot was put to the test in a Phase I trial led by researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

The vaccine, labeled the ELI-002 vaccine, appeared to reduce the risk of relapse in people with pancreatic and colorectal cancers whod previously had surgery and chemotherapy, according to the study, which published Tuesday in Nature Medicine.

People whove undergone surgery for pancreatic and colorectal cancer have a high risk of relapsing.

Having an effective vaccine that can attack any remaining cancer cells in the body could lower the risk of relapse and, ultimately, boost chances of survival.

These findings are very exciting because this is one of the first studies to show that a vaccine may reduce the chance of a very aggressive cancer (pancreas) from returning, said Dr. Anton Bilchik, MD, PhD, a surgical oncologist and chief of medicine and director of the Gastrointestinal and Hepatobiliary Program at Saint Johns Cancer Institute in Santa Monica, CA.

Bilchik was not involved in the study.

The trial recruited 25 individuals with pancreatic or colorectal cancer who had previously had surgery, chemotherapy, and, in some cases, another procedure like radiation therapy.

All of the patients had a tumor mKRAS mutation, which is one of the more common gene mutations linked to cancer.

The patients received a maximum of 10 doses of the vaccine, which is specifically designed to target KRAS mutations, at various doses.

The researchers investigated how peoples immune systems produced T cell responses after receiving the vaccine.

T cells are an essential component of the immune system that have a profound impact on how cells function and also build a defense against diseases like cancer from occurring or relapsing, Bilchik explained.

The team found that 84% of all patients developed a T cell response and 100% of patients who received the two highest vaccine doses developed a T cell response.

T cell responses were linked to reductions in tumor biomarkers and clearance of ctDNA, which is a type of DNA that comes from cancerous cells and tumors.

In addition, the T cell responses produced by the vaccine were associated with an 86% reduced risk of relapse or death.

The most common side effects included fatigue, injection site reaction, and muscle aches and pains.

The findings are early and preliminary but this type of vaccine could transform the future of cancer care, says Dr. Daniel Landau, an oncologist and hematologist with the Medical University of South Carolina and contributor for The Mesothelioma Center.

Landau did not work on the new study.

Having a positive finding in a vaccine that could target pancreatic cancer cells would be a huge advancement for the field of oncology in general, Landau said.

Even after pancreatic or colorectal cancer has been surgically removed and there are no traces of cancer in the body, the risk of relapse is high, explained Dr. Christopher Chen, an oncologist and hematologist with Stanford Medicine.

Microscopic cancer cells may have already escaped the cancer before the surgery that cannot be detected in imaging tests, Chen, who did not work on the new study, explained.

Relapsed cancer is often incurable.

Having an effective shot that can ignite a T cell response which plays an important role in the immune systems fight against cancer cells can help the body do the work that chemotherapy currently does, Landau said.

We have been spending decades trying to find ways to move away from traditional chemotherapies which we compare to dropping a bomb and, instead, find ways to utilize the bodys immune system to target and destroy the cancers for us, Landau said.

Scientists have been working on developing a vaccine that stimulates the immune systems T cells to destroy cancer cells, however, few have shown robust results.

The possibility that recurrence risk could be reduced further with a low-risk vaccine could be a major step forward towards increasing cure rates for this patient population, Chen said.

The shot is off the shelf, meaning it doesnt have to be tweaked for each person.

Off the shelf is beneficial because it can be produced in large quantities quickly, is less expensive and can potentially target many different types of cancer, says Bilchik.

Though these preliminary findings are promising, more data is needed to understand the shots efficacy.

Due to the successes observed in the Phase 1 trial, a Phase II trial is slated to begin later this year.

If these results can be confirmed via a larger study, this could represent a major advance for patients with resectable pancreatic and colorectal cancer, Chen said.

Scientists have developed a vaccine that may prevent some types of pancreatic and colorectal cancers from recurring. People whove undergone surgery and chemotherapy for pancreatic and colorectal cancer have a high risk of relapsing. A vaccine could teach the immune system to attack remaining cancer cells, thereby lowering the risk of relapse and boosting survival rates.

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New Vaccine May Help Stop Recurrence of Pancreatic, Colorectal Cancer - Healthline

A heat-tolerant vaccine developed by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) researchers is said to be effective against all current strains of SARS-CoV-2 besides having the potential to be quickly adapted for future variants as well.

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According to IISc-Bengaluru, since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Prof. Raghavan Varadarajan from the institutes Molecular Biophysics Unit (MBU) and collaborators have been working on developing a heat-tolerant vaccine that can offer protection against different strains of SARS-CoV-2 both current and future variants. In a study published in npj Vaccines, they report the design of a synthetic antigen that can be manufactured as a potential COVID-19 vaccine candidate.

They showed that their vaccine is effective against all current strains of SARS-CoV-2, and can be quickly adapted for future variants as well.

According to IISc., while current vaccines are proven to be effective against most SARS-CoV-2 strains, their efficacy has declined due to rapid mutation by the virus. After analysing various proteins found in the virus, the researchers selected two parts of SARS-CoV-2s spike protein the S2 subunit and the Receptor Binding Domain (RBD) for designing their vaccine candidate. The S2 subunit is highly conserved. It mutates much less than the S1 subunit, which is the target of most current vaccines. Scientists have also known that the RBD can provoke a strong immune response in the host. Therefore, the team created a hybrid protein called RS2 by combining these two components.

The researchers used mammalian cell lines to study the expression of the hybrid protein.

The protein showed very high levels of expression, and I (initially) thought that the experiment was not working properly, said Nidhi Mittal, PhD student at MBU and first author of the study.

The team then tested the effects of the protein in both mice and hamster models. They found that the hybrid protein triggered a strong immune response and provided better protection when compared to vaccines containing the whole spike protein.

According to IISc., the RS2 antigen can also be stored at room temperature for a month without the need for cold storage, unlike many vaccines in the market which require mandatory cold storage. This would make the distribution and storage of these vaccine candidates much more economical.

Varadarajan said that his team began working on the vaccine even before the pandemic became widespread in India. At that time, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation provided funding and support, he said,

Since 2000, Varadarajans team has been working on designing several viral vaccines, including those against AIDS and influenza. They have leveraged this expertise to design their current RS2-based COVID-19 vaccine candidate in collaboration with the startup Mynvax, which was, until recently, incubated at IISc.

According to the team, the vaccine candidate can be tailored to incorporate the RBD region of any new variant of SARS-CoV-2 that might emerge. Its high levels of expression and stability at room temperature can greatly reduce production and distribution costs, making it well suited for combating COVID-19.

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IISc comes up with warm vaccine against current strains of SARS-CoV-2 - The Hindu

Researchers have developed an intranasal COVID-19 vaccine that enhances the immune systems response to the virus, providing longer-lasting, greater protection than vaccine injections, even against new and emerging variants. The novel vaccine candidate could mean fewer boosters in future.

While the immediate threat of the COVID-19 pandemic has dissipated somewhat, with most returning to their pre-COVID lives, the continued rise of new virus variants means that vaccination is still necessary to protect the vulnerable in the community, such as the elderly and frail and those with pre-existing medical conditions.

Although many vaccines are available now that show protection in terms of significantly reducing infections, hospitalizations, deaths and virus transmission, breakthrough infections still occur, suggesting there are limitations to the duration of protection afforded by current vaccine regimes. So, in a study led by Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore, researchers set about developing and testing a COVID-19 vaccine thats delivered intranasally with the hope that its more effective.

Our data show that, compared to subcutaneous vaccination, the intranasal route improved the response of certain immune cells, known as T cells, which reduced disease severity, said Ashley St. John, corresponding author of the study. Not only that, but it also resulted in a greater number of T central memory cells compared to subcutaneous vaccination, which could lead to longer-lasting protection.

Given that SARS-CoV-2 infection is initiated at the mucosal surface of the nasal passages and lung airways, youd expect that a vaccine delivered into the nose right at the point where the virus enters the body would be more effective than one injected into the skin or muscle.

As expected, the researchers found that after testing their vaccine candidate on hamsters, nasal administration boosted the antibody response in the mucosa. However, compared to subcutaneous vaccination, mucosal vaccination produced distinct effects on T cells and antibody responses.

Importantly, it produced longer-lasting mucosal and systemic immune protection against SARS-CoV-2 through the preferential induction of airway-resident T cells and central memory T (TCM) cells, which play a vital role in safeguarding the body when it's re-exposed to a virus. While antigen-specific TCMs were also present in the animals that received the subcutaneously administered vaccine and could be reactivated as expected, both their numbers and the magnitude of their cytokine production responses were heightened following mucosal vaccination. Cytokines are small proteins that are crucial in controlling the growth and activity of other immune and inflammatory cells.

The researchers use of adjuvants substances that help create a stronger immune response in the vaccine influenced the T cells characteristics, as well as their activation and cytokine production, with different adjuvants producing different T cell responses.

Further, immunoglobulin G (IgG), the most common antibody in humans and one that protects against bacterial and viral infections, was found to be more effective at neutralizing viral variants, including newly emerging ones, when induced through intranasal vaccination.

The improved response by T cells and IgG following intranasal vaccination provides evidence it contributes to greater and longer-lasting protection from SARS-CoV-2, which would limit vaccine breakthrough infections, the researchers said.

While the acute phase of the pandemic may be behind us, the rise of new variants, including JN.1, which has triggered an increase in hospital admissions locally, demonstrates that we have room in our arsenal of vaccines and treatment for even better tools, said Patrick Tan, one of the studys co-authors. This study shows that mucosal vaccination holds promise for improving COVID-19 vaccine efficacy with potentially fewer boosters needed.

A patent has been filed that covers the invention of the vaccine composition formulated for intranasal delivery, paving the way for an industry partnership to potentially develop mucosal vaccines for COVID-19 and other pathogens that target mucosal surfaces.

The study was published in the journal eBioMedicine.

Source: Duke-NUS Medical School

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Novel nasal COVID-19 vaccine offers longer, better immunity than jabs - New Atlas