A new approach to a Covid-19 nasal vaccine shows early promise | CNN

New Nasal Covid-19 Vaccine Shows Early Promise in Hamster Studies

Scientists at the Max Delbruck Center for Molecular Medicine in Berlin have made a breakthrough in developing a nasal vaccine against Covid-19. The vaccine, which uses a live but weakened form of the coronavirus, has shown early promise in hamster studies, achieving "sterilizing immunity" and preventing illness.

The vaccine works by boosting mucosal immunity, or immune defenses, in the tissues that line the upper airways, where the virus would typically infect the body. In the study, two doses of the vaccine were found to block the virus from copying itself in the animals' upper airways, resulting in sterilizing immunity and preventing illness.

While this is a promising development, experts caution that more testing is needed before the vaccine can be used in humans. The researchers have partnered with a Swiss company called RocketVax to start phase I clinical trials, but it's unclear when human trials will begin.

Other nasal vaccines are already in use or nearing completion in clinical trials, including ones developed by China and India. However, the effectiveness of these vaccines is not yet known, as studies on their impact have not been published.

In contrast, the German vaccine has shown promise in hamster studies, achieving sterilizing immunity and preventing illness. The researchers believe that the live but weakened virus closely mimics the natural infection process, which may be why it works better than other approaches.

However, experts also note that respiratory infections can be difficult targets for inhaled vaccines, and more work is needed to make these types of vaccines effective. Additionally, live vaccines cannot be taken by everyone, particularly those with compromised immunity.

Despite these challenges, the development of a nasal Covid-19 vaccine is an important step towards preventing the spread of infection. With continued research and testing, it's possible that this approach could lead to a new generation of vaccines that are more effective and accessible to people around the world.

just imagine getting a shot in your nose instead of having to worry about needles i mean its not ideal but at least its less painful lol anyway its cool that germany is on top of this covid thing again and who knows maybe soon we'll have nasal vaccines available for humans too

The idea of a nasal Covid-19 vaccine is super promising ! I mean, think about it, we already have one that can be taken by just spraying it up our noses - no shots required! And the fact that it's achieved sterilizing immunity in hamster studies? That's huge! It makes sense too that a live but weakened virus would work better than other approaches, since it mimics the natural infection process. But let's not get ahead of ourselves, more testing is needed for sure. I'm just glad to see researchers pushing the boundaries and exploring new ways to keep us safe from this virus .

I'm intrigued by this new nasal Covid-19 vaccine and how it works. The idea of boosting mucosal immunity in the upper airways is pretty cool, but we need to consider that respiratory infections can be tricky to target with inhaled vaccines. Still, it's awesome that researchers are exploring different approaches and partnering up to get this vaccine to humans as soon as possible. I'm curious to see how phase I clinical trials go and what results we'll see

I'm so excited about this nasal Covid-19 vaccine . I mean, can you imagine not having to get shots in your arm every time? I've got a friend who's super anxious about needles, she'd be totally on board with this . And it's great that it's working for the hamsters, that's definitely a good sign !

But yeah, more testing is always necessary before we can say it's ready for humans. I just hope they're able to make it accessible to people who need it most. Like, let's be real, this pandemic has hit so many communities hard .

omg, i'm so stoked about this new nasal covid-19 vaccine ! those hamster studies are super promising . i mean, we've been hearing about all these other vaccines in different stages of clinical trials, but it's amazing to see actual results coming from a live-but-weakened virus approach . the fact that it boosts mucosal immunity in our upper airways is pretty genius . of course, more testing is needed, but let's be real, we've been waiting for like, forever . and isn't it cool that they're partnering with a Swiss company to start phase I clinical trials? this could be the breakthrough we need to get us out of this pandemic loop .

another covid vaccine update and it's still not looking good for us humans . just a nasal vaccine in hamster studies, big whoop. we gotta wait till they do human trials and even then, no promises . and what really gets me is those other countries already have nasal vaccines in the works but nobody knows if they actually work . meanwhile, we're stuck with this whole covid thing... just great

I'm not sure if I should be excited about this nasal Covid-19 vaccine or just relieved it's being developed for our sake. I mean, hamster studies = progress, but still, we've got a long way to go before it hits the market... and even then, how much of a difference will it really make? Also, why do all these new vaccines have to be nasal anyway? Can't they just come up with something for our noses that doesn't require us to get poked or injected? And what about the hamsters' tiny airways - are we really comparing human efficacy here or was it just a nice thought experiment?

OMG, isn't this news soooo exciting!! A nasal Covid-19 vaccine is on its way! I'm literally super hyped about this breakthrough. Scientists have been working tirelessly to develop something that could make a real difference in our lives, and it's finally starting to pay off. The fact that it's boosted mucosal immunity and blocked the virus from copying itself is just mind-blowing . Of course, more testing needs to be done, but I'm so glad we have people like these researchers working towards a cure. Let's keep our fingers crossed for a safer, healthier world soon!

I'm not sure about these hamster studies, feels like we're still in the early days of Covid-19 vaccine development, you know? Remember how it was just a year ago when vaccines were first being tested on humans? Fast forward to now and we've got nasal vaccines being developed? It's like, what's next? I mean, hamsters are cute and all, but can they really be the model for human trials? Also, why is everyone so keen on nasal vaccines? We already have masks and stuff, don't we need to focus on something else? But hey, if it's going to work, I'm all for it. After all, who doesn't want a vaccine that can prevent illness without having to get shots in their arm or deal with weird side effects? Still, I wish the researchers would be more open about what went wrong and what we can do better next time...

This news about the new nasal Covid-19 vaccine has me kinda stoked! I mean, the fact that it achieved sterilizing immunity in hamster studies is like, super promising! The idea that it can boost mucosal immunity and prevent illness by targeting the upper airways is so cool! But at the same time, I'm also thinking about how we gotta be cautious here. We need more testing and research to make sure this vaccine is safe for humans and effective against different strains of the virus. And yeah, respiratory infections can be tough to tackle with vaccines... but still, this could lead to some major breakthroughs!

OMG u guys I'm literally hyped about this nasal Covid-19 vaccine breakthrough in hamster studies!!! like seriously who doesn't want to breathe easy without worrying about getting sick all the time? And it's not just me, my friend Sarah's cousin is a scientist and she told me that if this vaccine works out for humans it could be a game changer . Of course, we have to wait for more testing and stuff but I'm keeping my fingers crossed

so they've made a breakthrough with a nasal Covid vaccine in hamster studies... sterilizing immunity and all that jazz . Not bad, I guess. But let's not get too ahead of ourselves here - it's still just hamsters we're talking about. Can't exactly say this thing is gonna change the world yet . And what's with the whole "live but weakened virus" vibe? Sounds like they took a bunch of leftover virus from last year and just... hoped for the best . Anyway, I guess it's a step in the right direction or whatever. More testing needed before humans get vaccinated, yawn .

This new nasal Covid-19 vaccine has me intrigued! I mean, who wouldn't want a vaccine that can boost mucosal immunity and prevent illness in the upper airways? But, at the same time, it's not entirely surprising to see scientists making breakthroughs like this - after all, we've been seeing advancements in Covid-19 research for years now .

What I think is really cool about this vaccine is that it uses a live but weakened form of the coronavirus. That makes total sense, as it closely mimics the natural infection process and could be more effective than other approaches . Plus, by boosting mucosal immunity, it's targeting one of the main entry points for the virus - clever!

Of course, we need to see more testing before this vaccine is ready for human trials, but I'm optimistic about its potential . It's a reminder that scientists are working tirelessly to develop new and innovative solutions to combat Covid-19 (and other diseases), which is something to be really grateful for .

I'd love to see where this research takes us next - will we eventually have a nasal vaccine that's widely available and accessible? Only time will tell, but I'm excited to find out!

I'm kinda surprised by how much hype this Nasal Covid-19 Vaccine is getting, but honestly, I think it's legit The fact that it's showing early promise in hamster studies is a big deal, especially since other nasal vaccines are already out there. But at the same time, I get why experts are being cautious - we don't know how effective it'll be in humans yet .

I mean, think about it, this vaccine is kinda like a superhero that targets the upper airways and prevents the virus from taking hold . And even though there are some challenges to overcome (like who can take live vaccines), I still think this is a step in the right direction .

Plus, if this vaccine does work out, it could mean big changes for the way we prevent Covid-19 infections . We might see new types of vaccines that are more effective and accessible to people around the world . So while there's still a lot to be learned, I'm cautiously optimistic about this one

Oh man, I'm loving the idea of a nasal Covid-19 vaccine! It's like something out of a sci-fi movie, right? Like in "The Matrix" when Neo takes down Agent Smith with his cool new moves... this vaccine is like taking down the virus with its own brand of immunity .

I'm kinda skeptical about it being effective on humans though, 'cause let's be real, hamsters are way different from us . Still, if it works, that's amazing news! More options for a vaccine means less chance of getting sick, and who doesn't want that?

I'm also curious to see how this will impact the development of future vaccines... maybe we'll have a whole arsenal of nasal meds . The thing is, with all these new vaccine possibilities, we gotta make sure they're accessible to everyone, especially those who need it most .

But overall, I'm stoked about this breakthrough! Who knows what the future holds? Maybe we'll be saying "I'm not lion" when we talk about getting vaccinated .

idk about this one ... seems like they've got some promising results in those hamster studies, but we gotta wait and see how it plays out in humans . I mean, we already have other nasal Covid-19 vaccines in the works from China and India, so this German one is just another player in the game . Still, the fact that they've achieved sterilizing immunity in hamsters is a big plus ... but let's not get ahead of ourselves here . More testing is always needed before we can say for sure if this vaccine is gonna be a game-changer or just another also-ran .

I'm loving the idea of a nasal COVID-19 vaccine! It makes total sense that it'd work by boosting mucosal immunity in the upper airways - we should've thought of that one ourselves! The fact that it's got "sterilizing immunity" and prevented illness in hamsters is super promising, but I totally get why they're being cautious about human trials first. We can't rush these things!

It's also interesting to see how this approach might be an improvement over other nasal vaccines already in the works - China and India are pushing their own COVID-19 nasal vaccines too! But yeah, we gotta keep in mind that respiratory infections are tough to crack with inhaled vaccines... still, it's a promising development!

One thing that's got me thinking is how these new vaccine developments could lead to more effective & accessible vaccines for the world. We've seen some major breakthroughs in COVID-19 research recently - this one's gotta be up there!