Scientists in Germany claim to have developed a nasal vaccine that can stop Covid-19 infections in the nose and throat, where the virus first takes hold. The vaccine is made with a weakened form of the coronavirus and was tested on hamsters, achieving "sterilizing immunity" and preventing illness.
The vaccine was shown to be more effective than other types of vaccines in animal studies, including an mRNA-based vaccine and one that uses an adenovirus. Researchers believe that the live but weakened version of the virus worked better because it mimicked a natural infection.
This approach is not new; it has been used for decades against other diseases such as anthrax and rabies. The researchers manipulated the genetic material in the virus to make it harder for cells to translate, creating an "unreadable" text that can't be read by the immune system without making the person sick.
The vaccine's potential lies in its ability to boost mucosal immunity, which is better at dealing with new variants of the virus. The researchers believe that this approach could prevent the spread of infection and make future versions of the virus less threatening.
While the results are promising, more testing is needed before the vaccine can be used on humans. The study began in 2021 before the Omicron variant emerged, but the live but weakened nasal vaccine still performed better than other vaccines against Omicron.
At least four nasal vaccines for Covid-19 have reached late-stage testing in people, according to the World Health Organization's vaccine tracker. These vaccines use different approaches, including harmless adenoviruses and live attenuated viruses.
However, the development of nasal vaccines has been slow and challenging due to the high costs involved. The COVID-19 pandemic highlights the need for effective respiratory infection prevention measures, particularly against strains like Omicron that can easily evade existing immunity.
In reality, researchers acknowledge that there's still much work to be done to develop a pan-coronavirus vaccine that induces mucosal immunity and is long-lived.
The vaccine was shown to be more effective than other types of vaccines in animal studies, including an mRNA-based vaccine and one that uses an adenovirus. Researchers believe that the live but weakened version of the virus worked better because it mimicked a natural infection.
This approach is not new; it has been used for decades against other diseases such as anthrax and rabies. The researchers manipulated the genetic material in the virus to make it harder for cells to translate, creating an "unreadable" text that can't be read by the immune system without making the person sick.
The vaccine's potential lies in its ability to boost mucosal immunity, which is better at dealing with new variants of the virus. The researchers believe that this approach could prevent the spread of infection and make future versions of the virus less threatening.
While the results are promising, more testing is needed before the vaccine can be used on humans. The study began in 2021 before the Omicron variant emerged, but the live but weakened nasal vaccine still performed better than other vaccines against Omicron.
At least four nasal vaccines for Covid-19 have reached late-stage testing in people, according to the World Health Organization's vaccine tracker. These vaccines use different approaches, including harmless adenoviruses and live attenuated viruses.
However, the development of nasal vaccines has been slow and challenging due to the high costs involved. The COVID-19 pandemic highlights the need for effective respiratory infection prevention measures, particularly against strains like Omicron that can easily evade existing immunity.
In reality, researchers acknowledge that there's still much work to be done to develop a pan-coronavirus vaccine that induces mucosal immunity and is long-lived.
! I'm all for it, but at the same time, I'm thinking... why did they even start working on this in 2021? Wasn't that around the time when some shady people were talking about "pandemic passports" and all that jazz? Coincidence? Maybe. The fact is, we already have vaccines that work, so why do we need a new one that's gonna make everyone think it's a super-effective miracle worker? It's like they're trying to control our narrative or something 
anyway, this nasal vaccine thing sounds kinda cool, but like, what's with all these different approaches? can't they just make one already? 
and omg, hamsters! who knew scientists were into cute animals too?! 
... it sounds like such a game-changer for Covid-19 prevention! 
I can imagine how frustrating it must be to deal with the Omicron variant and its ability to evade our immune systems 
. This vaccine, being able to boost mucosal immunity, is really promising 
... fingers crossed that it'll make a big difference in preventing infections and spreading! 
... I mean, they're trying to stop Covid-19 in the nose and throat, but it feels like we've been down this road before 
... remember when everyone was talking about flu shots back in the 90s? 
It's funny how technology advances, but some things are just too familiar 
. The idea of using a weakened virus to create immunity is interesting, I guess 
... my mom used to get those rabies shots when she was a kid and they worked like magic 
... but this is Covid-19 we're talking about here, not some cute disease in the animal kingdom 
.
So they've got this nasal vaccine thingy that stops Covid from setting up shop in the nose and throat? I'm gonna need some hard science on this one, though... how do we know it won't just give me a bad cold or something instead of preventing actual Covid infections?
I think it's awesome that scientists in Germany are working on a nasal vaccine that can stop Covid-19 from taking hold in the first place! 
The fact that it can boost mucosal immunity is also super important because new variants of the virus keep popping up and this vaccine could help prevent them from spreading so much. 
I'm curious to see how it performs in human trials, but if it's as promising as it sounds, this could be a game-changer for Covid-19 prevention! 
but also let's not forget that there's still a lot more work to do 
.
How do we know it's really "weakened" enough to prevent actual infections, rather than just mild ones?
Can't wait to see some actual human trial results and data before I give it my seal of approval... or skepticism, I should say 
. I mean, we've all seen how quickly Omicron mutated and spread around the world... this vaccine could be a game-changer for preventing those kinds of outbreaks 
. Now, I know more testing is needed before it's ready for humans, but the results are already super promising 
. It makes sense that it's more effective than other types of vaccines in animal studies, especially considering the Omicron variant has been super tricky to fight against 
. And let's be real, even if it does work out, it'll probably cost a fortune 
Interesting how it uses a weakened form of the virus to mimic a natural infection, and that it's more effective than other types of vaccines 
This nasal vaccine approach is definitely an innovative step forward in the fight against Covid-19 
. Nevertheless, I'm optimistic about this research and its potential to combat emerging variants like Omicron 
.
. I mean, using a weakened form of the virus to mimic a natural infection is genius (or so I'm told)... but have we thought this through for real? What if it causes some other problems down the line? 
... and four nasal vaccines already in late-stage testing? That's just a lot of competition 
... I don't know, maybe I'm just being paranoid 
, but you can never be too careful when it comes to something like this 
. I mean, it's not like Covid-19 isn't gonna mutate into some new strain that'll make us all obsolete 
. And what about people with compromised immune systems? Are we supposed to just wait for this vaccine to magically appear and save the day? 
.
but dis one u can just sniff n it'll do the trick lol 
research says it boosted mucosal immunity n stopped the virus in its tracks 