Scientists in Germany have made significant progress in developing a new type of nasal vaccine that shows early promise in preventing Covid-19 infections. The vaccine uses a live but weakened form of the coronavirus and has been shown to block the virus from replicating in the upper airways, achieving "sterilizing immunity" and preventing illness.
In animal studies, including hamsters, two doses of the vaccine were found to be effective in creating a strong immune response, outperforming other vaccines. The researchers think that the live weakened vaccine worked better because it closely mimics the process of a natural infection.
The nasal vaccine also previews the entire coronavirus for the body, not just its spike proteins like current Covid-19 vaccines do, allowing the hamsters to make immune weapons against a wider range of targets. While the results are encouraging, experts say that caution is warranted and more tests need to be done before the vaccine can be widely used.
Other nasal vaccines are already in use or nearing completion of clinical trials, but they have not been shown to be as effective as this new approach. The US has reached a stalemate with Covid-19, with hundreds of Americans still dying daily from the infection.
The development of a pan-coronavirus vaccine that induces mucosal immunity and is long-lived is considered crucial. Experts argue that developing such a vaccine is foolish and should be the priority.
At least four nasal vaccines for Covid-19 are currently in late-stage testing in people, according to the World Health Organization's vaccine tracker. The German team is eagerly awaiting the results of the Codagenix studies, which may provide insight into whether this approach is promising or not.
However, respiratory infections have proved to be tough targets for inhaled vaccines, and fluMist, a live but weakened form of the flu virus, has shown limited effectiveness in adults. The use of live attenuated viruses in other vaccines, such as those against measles, mumps, and rubella, offers hope for this approach.
Despite the potential benefits, there are concerns about the safety of live vaccines, particularly for individuals with compromised immunity.
In animal studies, including hamsters, two doses of the vaccine were found to be effective in creating a strong immune response, outperforming other vaccines. The researchers think that the live weakened vaccine worked better because it closely mimics the process of a natural infection.
The nasal vaccine also previews the entire coronavirus for the body, not just its spike proteins like current Covid-19 vaccines do, allowing the hamsters to make immune weapons against a wider range of targets. While the results are encouraging, experts say that caution is warranted and more tests need to be done before the vaccine can be widely used.
Other nasal vaccines are already in use or nearing completion of clinical trials, but they have not been shown to be as effective as this new approach. The US has reached a stalemate with Covid-19, with hundreds of Americans still dying daily from the infection.
The development of a pan-coronavirus vaccine that induces mucosal immunity and is long-lived is considered crucial. Experts argue that developing such a vaccine is foolish and should be the priority.
At least four nasal vaccines for Covid-19 are currently in late-stage testing in people, according to the World Health Organization's vaccine tracker. The German team is eagerly awaiting the results of the Codagenix studies, which may provide insight into whether this approach is promising or not.
However, respiratory infections have proved to be tough targets for inhaled vaccines, and fluMist, a live but weakened form of the flu virus, has shown limited effectiveness in adults. The use of live attenuated viruses in other vaccines, such as those against measles, mumps, and rubella, offers hope for this approach.
Despite the potential benefits, there are concerns about the safety of live vaccines, particularly for individuals with compromised immunity.
I'm thinking that if they can scale up production and get it to humans quickly enough, this nasal vaccine could be a total game changer 
We've been waiting for so long for something like this and the fact that it's showing "sterilizing immunity" is huge 
Plus, being able to target multiple parts of the virus at once is a major plus. I'm also kinda loving the idea that we might finally be getting close to developing a pan-coronavirus vaccine 
Of course, we gotta wait and see how it all plays out, but I'm cautiously optimistic 
That's some next level stuff right there! I'm all about seeing more development on this one. Let's get those Codagenix studies done ASAP so we can learn more about its effectiveness and safety 
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, but I think it's a step in the right direction. And if it means we can reduce those daily deaths from Covid-19... that's just amazing 
. The fact that it uses live but weakened form of the coronavirus is also really interesting - maybe this is how our bodies are supposed to fight off viruses all along 
! Who knows, maybe we'll have a new way to protect ourselves from Covid-19 and other respiratory infections in no time 
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. And what about the fact that there are already four nasal vaccines in late-stage testing with the WHO? How do we know this one is gonna be better? Sources, people! 
. I'm all for scientific progress and innovation, but let's not forget about the potential risks, especially for people with compromised immunity. We need to see more data before we start injecting anything new into our bodies 
. What does that even mean? And how does it work? I want to know the science behind it, not just some buzzworthy term 
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. I mean, it's been like, what feels like forever since we were first told there was this thing out 
. Anyway, this new vaccine sounds promising - the idea of getting "sterilizing immunity" is pretty cool 
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. We've heard it all before with nasal vaccines and fluMist, right? 
, with all these deaths still happening 
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. Fingers crossed that they can deliver something game-changing 
I think it's awesome that Germany made progress on a nasal vaccine! With Covid-19 being so stubborn, we need all the help we can get 
. The idea of inducing mucosal immunity and making long-lived protection sounds like a game-changer 
. The fact that it uses a live but weakened form of the coronavirus and has been shown to block the virus from replicating in the upper airways is really promising 
. We've been stuck in this Covid-19 stalemate for far too long, and any new tool in our arsenal could make a real difference 
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i mean its gotta be better than those other vaccines thats been failin us for years right? 
and yeah i get what u mean about the fluMist thing, its like why not try somethin new if whats not workin? 
but at the same time u gotta worry about safety too, i mean live viruses can be sketchy 
. This nasal vaccine thing sounds promising, especially since it's all about inducing "sterilizing immunity" 
. We're still in the dark ages when it comes to respiratory infections, and fluMist hasn't exactly lit up the charts 
. And let's not forget about safety concerns – live vaccines can be sketchy for people with compromised immunity 
. We need all the help we can get right now, and if it pans out, that'd be a game-changer 
...
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But seriously, the fact that they're using live but weakened coronavirus and it actually works is kinda impressive? 
. And don't even get me started on the safety concerns... I'm not convinced that live vaccines are the answer to all our problems 
: scientists in Germany r making big strides! 
They found a weak but live coronavirus vaccine that's like, super effective at blocking Covid-19 
️! 
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: hundreds dying daily 
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. Developing one that works long-term and induces mucosal immunity would be LIFE CHANGING 