COVID vaccine nasal spray shows strong immune response in study: ‘It could be a game-changer’

A new study has shown promising results for a nose Covid-19 vaccineaccording to researchers from the Institute of Virology at the Freie Universität Berlin in Germany.

When two doses of the live nasal vaccine were given to hamsters, the animals showed a stronger immune response compared to their response to two doses of currently available vaccines.

The study was published Monday in the journal Nature Microbiology.

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The study’s lead author told Fox News Digital this week, “We find that a live attenuated vaccine prevents virus replication – this could be a game-changer in controlling SARS-CoV-2 transmission. “

Nasal vaccines are not yet available in the United States

Today there are four approved COVID vaccines in the United States – all of which are given by injection into the muscle, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines are both mRNA vaccines, which use mRNA (messenger RNA) to trigger cells to produce a viral protein.

This prompts the immune system to create antibodies.

Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen is a viral-vectored vaccine, which delivers DNA “instructions” to cells in the body via a different, non-harmful virus.

The Novavax vaccine is a protein subunit vaccine, which uses certain proteins from the virus that causes COVID-19 – known as the “spike protein” – to “train” the immune system to act against future spike proteins .

“The goal is to create a barrier to stop the spread of the virus.”

The nasal COVID vaccine being tested is a live attenuated vaccine, meaning it contains a live but weaker form of the coronavirus.

It works by stopping the virus in the upper respiratory tract before it can spread further in the body.

Study focused on Syrian hamsters

The researchers used Syrian hamsters for their vaccine testing.

The study’s lead author, Dr. Jakob Trimpert, head of diagnostics at the Institute of Virology at Freie Universität Berlin in Germanysaid hamsters are the “first non-transgenic (non-genetically modified) animal model” for COVID-19 research.

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“These animals have the great advantage of being naturally susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection, including natural spread between hamsters,” he told Fox News Digital.

“The infection of Syrian hamsters resembles many key features of moderate human COVID-19 – this makes the hamster an ideal model for study COVID-19 vaccines and therapies.”

Nasal vaccines show ‘superior protection’

Nasal vaccines have significant advantages over currently available injectable vaccines, Dr. Trimpert said.

“A live attenuated vaccine applied nasally provides superior protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection compared to vaccines applied intramuscularly,” he told Fox News Digital.

While he said currently marketed vaccines do a good job of preventing serious illness from COVID, Dr. Trimpert stressed that they do not prevent infection, moderate disease, or spread.

“We find that a live attenuated vaccine prevents virus replication” – so “this could be a game-changer in controlling SARS-CoV-2 transmission”.

The main advantage of a nasal vaccine is that immunity is activated where it is needed, Dr. Trimpert said.

“It’s the induction of local immunity at the site of natural infection that could be the game-changer here,” he said.

“Judging by our results, this has a huge impact and significantly reduces the risk of infection.”

Doctor calls nasal vaccines ‘a brilliant idea’

Dr. Marc Siegel, Professor of Medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center and a Fox News medical contributor, said he found the new research promising. He did not participate in the study.

“The goal is very important: to create a barrier to stop the spread of the virus,” he told Fox News Digital.

“It involves IGA antibodies and acts at the mucosal level.”

IGA, or immunoglobulin A, is an antibody that plays an important role in mucosal immune function.

The mucous membrane, or nasal mucosa, is the tissue that lines the nasal cavity.

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The nasal vaccine could stand alone or work in conjunction with other vaccines, Dr. Siegel said.

“If it is effective and human trials of the German vaccine are underway, it will be a big step forward,” he said.

Dr. Norman B. Gaylis, who has treated more than 1,000 patients at his Long Haul COVID Clinic in adventure, floridaalso reviewed the results.

“I think it’s a brilliant idea to create a vaccine that can boost immunity in the nasal mucosa,” he told Fox News Digital.

“Research has shown that COVID and other viruses often enter through the nose and up the olfactory nerve…and then into the brain,” he explained.

Developing a nasal vaccine could help prevent viruses from easily entering the brain, Dr Gaylis said.

“This is important because many ‘long COVID’ patients report brain damage from the virus,” he added.

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Additionally, a nasal vaccine would provide a useful alternative for patients who are afraid of needles, allowing them to protect themselves without needlesticks, the doctor said.

Other nasal vaccines in development

As of July 2022, there were at least 12 COVID nasal vaccines in clinical development, according to Science Immunology.

Biotechnology company Codagenix announced in October 2022 that it had entered the Phase 3 clinical trial for CoviLiv, its intranasal COVID-19 vaccine which is intended for healthy adults.

As of July 2022, there are at least 12 nasal COVID vaccines in development.

The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York has launched a Phase 1 study evaluating a new egg-based COVID vaccine, called NDV-HXP-S, which can be administered nasally or by muscle injection.

In June 2022, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases published a study illustrating the effectiveness of nasal COVID vaccines in hamsters.

This was followed by another study in September 2022, which showed that nasal vaccines produced a strong immune response in rhesus monkeys.

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Both China and India have approved nasal COVID vaccines for humans, as reported in the journal Nature in September 2022.

Those considering a new vaccine should consult a doctor to make sure it is right for them.

Iran and Russia have also approved nasal forms of the vaccine, although available data on their effectiveness is limited.

More research is needed

The German research team plans to continue studying the effectiveness of its vaccines and looks forward to moving into clinical trials.

“Although our results in the animal model are robust, only clinical trials will be able to determine translatability to human medicine,” Dr. Trimpert said.

Questions remain about the safety of the vaccine for people with weakened immune systems and the potential risk of combining it with different variants of the virus.

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The CDC states that severely immunocompromised people and pregnant women should avoid live vaccines.

According to Dr. Trimpert, “We believe there is reason to hope for next-generation COVID-19 vaccines that better control virus transmission and significantly reduce disease burden.”