A revolutionary COVID-19 mucosal vaccine is poised to transform vaccine delivery, especially for individuals who have a fear of needles.
Recent research conducted by Griffith University, which has been featured in Nature Communications, explores the effectiveness of a COVID-19 vaccine that is administered through the nasal passages.
Professor Suresh Mahalingam from Griffith’s Institute for Biomedicine and Glycomics has dedicated the last four years to this project.
“This is a live attenuated intranasal vaccine known as CDO-7N-1, formulated to be given through the nose, thereby potentially generating both mucosal and systemic immunity from just one dose,” explained Professor Mahalingam.
“The vaccine promotes strong memory responses in the nasal mucosa, providing long-lasting protection for up to a year or more.”
“It is meant to be administered as a single dose, ideally serving as a booster vaccine, functioning as a safe alternative to injections, with no adverse effects noted either in the short or long term.”
Live-attenuated vaccines come with various notable benefits compared to other vaccine types.
They generate strong and enduring humoral (antibody) and cellular immunity, frequently with just one dose.
Unlike many other vaccine platforms that utilize only a single antigen, live-attenuated vaccines contain the full virus, allowing for broader immunity.
Lead author Dr. Xiang Liu highlighted that the vaccine provides cross-protection against all notable variants and has the ability to neutralize SARS-CoV-1.
“This vaccine offers robust protection against transmission, prevents reinfection, and curtails the virus’s spread while minimizing the emergence of new variants,” commented Dr. Liu.
“In contrast to mRNA vaccines that focus solely on the spike protein, CDO-7N-1 triggers immunity to all key SARS-CoV-2 proteins and has proven effective against all major variants identified so far.”
“Significantly, the vaccine maintains stability at 4°C for seven months, making it suitable for use in low- and middle-income countries.”
The vaccine has been licensed to Indian Immunologicals Ltd., a prominent vaccine developer.
Dr. K. Anand Kumar, a co-author of the study and Managing Director of Indian Immunologicals Ltd., remarked: “As a leading ‘One Health’ organization, we have successfully developed and launched several vaccines for both human and animal use in India and currently ship to 62 countries.”
“We have completed all necessary studies for this innovative COVID-19 vaccine, which presents significant advantages compared to other options.”
“We eagerly anticipate advancing the vaccine candidate to clinical trials.”
Professor Lee Smith, Acting Director of the Institute for Biomedicine and Glycomics, expressed enthusiasm regarding the research outcomes.
“The findings related to the development of a next-generation COVID-19 vaccine are truly exhilarating,” stated Professor Smith.
“Our team is committed to delivering innovative and, importantly, more accessible solutions to tackle this widespread disease.”
The research paper titled “A single-dose intranasal live-attenuated codon deoptimized vaccine provides broad protection against SARS-CoV-2 and its variants” has been published in Nature Communications.
