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Production of intranasal anticoronavirus vaccine is under consideration

 
, medical expert
Last reviewed: 02.07.2025
 
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21 December 2021, 11:00

Researchers at the British University of Lancaster are already very close to creating an anti-COVID vaccine that is not an injection but an intranasal type.

Preliminary studies of the new drug in animals have demonstrated a reduction in symptomatic manifestations of the disease and blocking the transmission of viral infection.

Scientists vaccinated rodents with a two-stage administration of the drug and found that the hamsters acquired complete protection against lung infection, inflammation and other painful manifestations that develop after infection with the COVID-19 virus.

Notably, the two-stage intranasal administration of the drug resulted in a significant reduction in the spread of the virus from the rodents' respiratory system. This may mean that the vaccine is capable of containing the pathogen in the area of its application. It turns out that if the drug is administered into the nasal cavity, it is possible not only to prevent infection, but also to block viral transmission, thereby stopping the pandemic spread of the infection.

Virology specialist Professor Munir personally supervised the experiment. He noted the following: “Our research project shows that installing local immune protection in the area where the coronavirus enters the body will not only reduce the degree of clinical manifestations, but also prevent the pathogen from passing from a sick person to another, healthy person.”

The intranasal drug under study is based on an avian virus that causes pseudo-plague, or Newcastle disease. This virus is capable of reproducing in the human body, but does not harm it. The researchers managed to redirect the Newcastle disease virus to produce coronavirus spike proteins, which forces the body to begin implementing an immune response against the COVID-19 pathogen.

Intranasal administration of the drug induced the production of antibodies in rodents against several variations of the coronavirus infection, indicating that it likely provides broad protection.

Leading researcher at Lancaster University, Dr Rycroft-Malone, expressed confidence that scientists had made an important step in preventing COVID-19, which will help stop the pandemic spread of the infection around the world.

Scientists note that intranasal vaccination is more accessible, tolerates transportation well, and can most likely be used even in childhood. The regular emergence of new coronavirus strains indicates the need to intensify work on vaccines and study all possible ways to "curb" the infection.

The intranasal vaccine spray has a number of positive aspects, as it is easy to administer, it significantly increases local immune protection and can be an excellent alternative drug for people who have contraindications to injection vaccination.

The results of the work were published on the pages of the iScience publication.

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