The Covid spray vaccine should block the virus in the nose. But the United States is also aiming for an even more ambitious goal: sprayed in the nose of those who are already infected should strengthen their immune response, prevent the transmission of the virus and reduce the burden of diseases. Akiko Iwasakiholder of a PhD at Yale University, is one of the founders of Xanadu Bio, a private company created last year to focus on the methods to be adopted to eradicate SARS-CoV-2 through the upper airways, that is precisely in the nose, to prevent it from spreading deeper into the lungs.
Covid, the spray vaccine also works against Omicron
by Daniele Banfi
Nasal vaccine operation
In an editorial published on Science ImmunologyIwasaki ed Eric J. Topol, director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute, have called for more federal investment to continue the fight against SARS-CoV-2. Their project can be summed up in these words: “Operation Nasal Vaccine – Lightning-fast speed to counter Covid”, and is having, they argue, “unprecedented success”.
For months, officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have been keeping an eye on the effectiveness level of Covid vaccines, which appears to have dropped during the rise of the Omicron strain. And there is concern about how the virus could evolve. “Our vaccines are great,” he said Ashish K. JhaCovid coordinator for the White House – but we must do better “.
Nasal vaccines under study
And here the anti-Covid nasal sprays come into the picture. There are at least 12 vaccines in clinical development, four of which have achieved randomized Phase 3, placebo-controlled studies: three are viral vectors (Bharat Biotech, Codagenix and Beijing Wantal Biological), which use a recombinant spike protein or domain of receptor binding or an attenuated live virus. A fourth vaccine is a protein subunit (Razi Vaccine and Serum Research Institute). With respect to these, Codagenix announced positive results of a strong immune and mucosal cellular antibody response compared to Omicron BA.2 and anticipates that this vaccine will be incorporated into the World Health Organization’s network of multicenter clinical trials. Finally, there is the Astra Zeneca vaccine (ChADOx1 / AZD1222), in phase 1, evaluated in macaques and hamsters, on which it induced a robust mucosal response to the D614G variant, with a better humoral response via intranasal than intramuscular administration.
Covid, the spray vaccine blocks the virus in the nose
by Viola Rita
“We block the virus to the limit”
“We are stopping the spread of the virus at the very edge – explained Iwasaki – it is like putting a guard outside the house to patrol the invaders, compared to the hypothesis of transferring the guards to the corridor of the building in the hope that they will capture the invader”. And he continued: “During the first year of the pandemic, the significant evolution of Covid was slow, without any functional consequences, but since then we have seen a succession of important variants, with increasing transmissibility and the ability to evade the immune response, culminating in the latest Omicron subvariants “.
Objective: to achieve immunity of the nasal mucosa
Meanwhile, the virus continues its ups and downs, exhausting the sixth wave of infections. Precisely for this reason the experts argue: “As it continues to evade our immune response and increase transmissibility, we urgently need to achieve respiratory mucosal immunity in the population.” Specifying: “The goal of breaking the Covid transmission chain at the individual level and in the population will benefit us in the containment operation, while reducing the budget of diseases and Long Covid”. And they conclude: “The prospect of achieving this goal with nasal vaccines is high, but it will only be possible with dedicated funding, quick times and the removal of any regulatory obstacles”.