COVID-19 vaccine sprayed in the nostrils could replace shots in arms – Washington Examiner

A COVID-19 vaccine sprayed in the nostrils might supplant shots in the arm.

Intranasal vaccines against COVID-19 are already in development worldwide and could provide more long-lasting protection, as it starts in the place where the pathogen lands: the mucous membranes in the airways.

The vaccines work by triggering the production of an antibody known as immunoglobulin A, which can block infection and reduce the risk of spreading the virus to others. Unlike the mRNA vaccines given as intramuscular injections in the upper arm that the United States has embraced, the spray would be painless an attractive feature for children and the needle-phobic.

Intranasal vaccines have not gotten the government support needed to develop the COVID-19 vaccines currently on the U.S. market. But researchers worldwide are in varied phases of studies. For instance, India-based Bharat Biotech, maker of the Covaxin COVID-19 vaccine, recently won approval from the countrys health regulators to enroll human subjects in clinical trials of an intranasal booster dose of immunity. The company plans to enroll nearly 5,000 people who received Covaxin in the trials.

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In Australia, respiratory scientist Daniela Traini at Sydneys Macquarie University received a $100,000 grant (around $72,000 U.S. dollars) from the Government of New South Wales to work with Sydney-based biotech company Medlab on an mRNA vaccine for COVID-19 to be delivered nasally.

If this study is successful, it would possibly allow other mRNA vaccines to be delivered by nasal spray, and it would bring a number of benefits, Traini said.

Researchers also believe the nasal spray vaccines could be transported more easily than the traditional mRNA vaccines, which require refrigeration at extremely low temperatures to stay viable around minus 94 degrees Fahrenheit. The relative ease the intranasal vaccines could be stored with would be a game-changer for vaccinating people in developing countries, according to Traini.

Another recent study of an intranasal vaccine using an engineered version of the coronavirus given to chimpanzees found it induced all-around immunity against the original strain of the coronavirus, as well as the alpha and beta strains. The group of Canadian immunologists behind the study concluded the intranasal vaccine represents an effective next-generation COVID-19 vaccine strategy to induce all-around mucosal immunity against current and future [variants of concern].

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Despite a general lack of funding for the development of intranasal COVID-19 vaccines in the U.S., they have received strong support from big names in the science field. Eric Topol, director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute and data scientist, said it is imperative that new investments in vaccine research and development include substantial funding for intranasal vaccines.

He and co-writer Daniel Oran, also a member of the Scripps Research Translational Institute, further called intranasal vaccines a smart bet.

COVID-19 is showing signs of transitioning from a pandemic to a phase in which the virus becomes a regular facet of normal life. But new variants are expected to arise and pose the risk of evading vaccine-conferred protection. A vaccine that coats the entire mucous membrane could help keep the coronavirus from taking up residence in the airways.

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COVID-19 vaccine sprayed in the nostrils could replace shots in arms - Washington Examiner