Harianjogja.com, JAKARTA – Scientists are working on alternatives to Covid-19 vaccine which can be given without an injection, but through the nose.
As quoted from DW, Saturday (22/1/2022), scientists in Mexico are currently trying to make a vaccine that can be given through the nose called Patria – which means homeland in Spanish.
They hope this vaccine can start clinical trials soon.
Head of the Department of Microbiology at the Ichan School of Medicine, Mount Sinai Hospital, United States (US) Peter Palese, developed the main ingredient used in nasal vaccines with his research team.
In an interview, he said one of the main advantages of the nasal vaccine is its ability to be refrigerated at 2-4 degrees Celsius, rather than the extremely low temperatures for Pfizer and Moderna.
“Much, much cheaper to manufacture vaccine this was compared to the mRNA vaccine by Pfizer and Moderna,” Palese said.
Phases one and two trials are currently being facilitated in parallel due to the urgency of the pandemic. People from five countries are involved in the trial and preliminary data are expected this July.
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“It works well in animals, we have fantastic and interesting research on hamsters and mice, but clearly mice and hamsters are not humans,” Palese said.
On the other hand, scientists at Washington University in St. Louis are also working on a nasal vaccine Covid-19.
The research team, led by viral immunologist Michael Diamond and oncologist David Curial, found that mice that received a single nasal dose of the vaccine were fully protected from SARS-CoV-2.
But mice that received the same vaccine by injection were only partially protected.
To make the vaccine, the researchers inserted the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in the adenovirus, which causes the common cold. But they change the adenovirus so it can’t cause disease.
This allows the body to develop an immune defense against spike protein.
“A single dose produces a strong immune response. Vaccines that require two doses for full protection are less effective because some people, for various reasons, never receive a second dose,” said Curial.
Then, because the vaccine does not contain live virus, it would be a good choice for people with compromised immune systems such as cancer, HIV and diabetes patients, scientists argue.
Source: Antara
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