The Next Generation of COVID-19 Vaccines: Nasally Administered Live Attenuated Vaccine Shows Promising Results

“The study findings provide insight into what the next generation of COVID-19 vaccines could be,” said one of the experts.

(HealthDay News) — New research points to the potential of a COVID-19 vaccine administered through the nose.

The Phase 1 clinical trial showed that the product, administered nasally in two doses, produced a significant immune response against multiple COVID variants.

Called CoviLiv, the vaccine was tested as a primary vaccination series in healthy adults before the development of the mRNA vaccines that are now approved to help prevent severe COVID.

Instead, CoviLiv is a live attenuated vaccine, meaning it is made from a weakened virus. The virus’s genetic material was recoded to turn it from a disease-causing pathogen into a stable and safe vaccine, according to its developer, Codagenix Inc.

Participants who received the vaccine during the trial had robust immune responses, according to a company news release about the study. They also had T cell reactivity that was seen to be specific for multiple viral antigens beyond the frequently mutated coronavirus spike protein.

Findings presented at medical meetings are considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal

The idea was to produce an immune response to the entire virus rather than the spike protein. This could provide potentially broader protection against the variants, the researchers said.

None of the current COVID vaccines are live attenuated or administered nasally.

The findings will be presented Wednesday at IDWeek 2023, the joint annual meeting of several organizations, including the Infectious Diseases Society of America, in Boston.

“The study findings provide insight into what could be the next generation of COVID-19 vaccines that offer differential protection to more people,” said the study’s lead author, Johanna Kaufmann, executive vice president of oncology and immunology at Codagenix. Inc.

“Vaccine administration through the nose and easier storage can increase access to vaccines in underserved areas around the world,” he said in a news release from the meeting.

CoviLiv does not require cold chain storage, which would make it easier to store in areas that do not have sufficient refrigeration. Having an alternative to COVID shots could also increase acceptance in areas with lower vaccination rates, according to the study.

Findings presented at medical meetings are considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

More information

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more information about COVID-19 vaccines.

SOURCE: IDWeek 2023, press release, October 11, 2023.

*Cara Murez. Health Day Reporters © The New York Times 2023

2023-10-13 01:13:00
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