Covid vaccine: Single-dose nasal drop protects against virus and variants, can be a gamechanger
nasal spray vaccine (representative image) Photograph:( AFP )
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A new Covid vaccine candidate could be a game changer, according to its developers, as it offers broad protection against the virus and its variants. What makes it unique is that it can be administered in a single dose, and is given through the nasal passage
A new Covid vaccine candidate could be a game changer, according to its developers, as it offers broad protection against the virus and its variants. What makes it unique is that it can be administered in a single dose, and is given through the nasal passage
A new, nasally administered Covid vaccine candidate could be a game changer as it offers broad protection against the deadly virus and its variants, while also vaccinating those who are averse to needles, its developers have said.
Administered through the nasal passage, the dose has been licensed to the vaccine maker, Indian Immunologicals Ltd, and is expected to go into clinical trials soon.
The dose, called CDO-7N-1, is an intranasal live-attenuated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, which uses a method known as codon deoptimisation.
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With just one shot, CDO-7N-1 was found to induce robust immune response in mice, hamsters and macaques, said its developers, who published their findings in Nature Communications journal on Monday (Aug 26).
The lab test animals were protected from SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, as well as its variants like beta, delta and omicron XBB.1.5, said the researchers.
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“This is a live attenuated intranasal vaccine, inducing potential mucosal immunity as well as systemic immunity with just a single dose,” said Prof Suresh Mahalingam from Griffith’s Institute for Biomedicine and Glycomics, who has been working on the vaccine for four years.
“The vaccine induces strong memory responses in the nasal mucosa, offering long-term protection for up to a year or more. It’s been designed to be administered as single dose, ideally as a booster vaccine, as a safe alternative to needles with no adverse reactions in the short or long term,” he said.
This is a live-attenuated vaccine, meaning it contains the entire virus, thereby providing broad immunity, in contrast to a single antigen, which is used in many other vaccine platforms.
The vaccine provides cross-protection against all variants of concern, and has neutralising capacity against SARS-CoV-1, said Dr Xiang Liu, the lead author of the study, adding it protects against transmission, prevents reinfection and the spread of the virus, while also reducing the generation of new variants.
“Unlike the mRNA vaccine, which targets only the spike protein, CDO-7N-1 induces immunity to all major SARS-CoV-2 proteins and is highly effective against all major variants to date," said Liu.
“Importantly, the vaccine remains stable at 4°C for seven months, making it ideal for low- and middle-income countries.”
(With inputs from agencies)
