Covid-19 Nasal Vaccine: Are These Better Solutions?Everything you need to know

Mayuresh Abhyankar, a researcher at the University of Virginia who studies infectious diseases and works on nasal vaccines, says there are many immunological benefits to vaccination where the coronavirus can launch an attack. Explains that there is.

What is a nasal vaccine?

The nasal vaccine is given nasally. More precisely, these vaccines, called intranasal vaccines, are liquids that can be administered as a spray or through a dropper or syringe. The most common nasal spray is FluMist, a nasal spray that uses the inactivated influenza virus to protect against influenza.

Intranasal vaccines are live attenuated viruses similar to FluMist, nucleic acid vaccines such as the mRNA coronavirus vaccine, or protein vaccines such as hepatitis B vaccine. CorbeVax coronavirus vaccine.. Intranasal vaccines are ideal for protecting against nasal pathogens such as influenza and coronavirus.

These vaccines help train a person’s immune system at potential infections by mimicking the first steps of natural exposure to airborne pathogens. Scientists have shown that the initial immune response of the airways after a person is exposed to the aerial virus can affect a person’s illness.

Therefore, in theory, intranasal vaccines may provide better protection than vaccines that shoot the arm.

How does the coronavirus infect people?

SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, normally enters the body through the nose and attaches to the back of the nasal passages and the mucous membranes of the throat. The virus then invades the cells it comes in contact with, replicates and spreads. Immediately below these cells of the mucosa are many types of immune cells that form the so-called mucosal immune system. The cells of the mucosal immune system first identify the invading coronavirus particles and initiate a protective reaction.There are many types just below these cells in the mucosa Immune cells It forms the so-called mucosal immune system.

In unvaccinated individuals, it takes about two weeks for these immune cells to build a protective response after encountering the coronavirus. By that time, the virus can easily infect other parts of the body, such as the lungs, which can lead to serious illness.

Nasal vaccines follow many of the same steps. When inhaling a nasal vaccine, the particles land on the mucous membranes of the nasal passages or the back of the throat, enter cells in those places, and provoke an immune response. This process teaches the body about the coronavirus and makes it possible to deal with real infections in the future.

How are nasal and intramuscular vaccines different?

When you receive an injection of Covid-19 in your arm, the vaccine provokes a strong immune response in cells near where you received the injection.

It also causes your immune system to produce some coronavirus-specific antibodies and other immune cells elsewhere in your body. When the coronavirus begins to infect cells in the human respiratory tract, nearby immune cells begin to defend.

Send your body too Antiviral immune cells Antibodies to the site of infection from elsewhere. However, by the time enough coronavirus-specific immune cells have gathered around the site of infection to prevent the virus from replicating, the virus has already begun to spread throughout the body, making it difficult for the immune system to catch up.

Nasal vaccines, like other vaccines, mimic the virus to prepare the immune system against the virus. But importantly, they also mimic the process of infection and enhance the protective response within the mucosal immune system of the nose and throat.

Simply put, an intranasal vaccine is like recognizing that an invasion will occur and placing security guards in the right place before the problem occurs. Science supports this idea. In direct comparison, AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine provided better protection against intranasally vaccinated hamsters compared to intramuscularly vaccinated hamsters.

Intranasal vaccination can also be used in combination with intramuscular immunity. In a recent study, my colleague and I gave some mice both a nasal and intramuscular vaccine and were exposed to a lethal dose of SARS-CoV-2. 100% of these mixed vaccinated mice survived compared to only 10% of unvaccinated mice. ..

We are currently testing whether this mixed approach is superior to the intranasal or intramuscular approach alone. Finally, intranasal vaccines are painless, non-invasive and do not require special training to use.

What are the risks of a nasal vaccine?

Nasal vaccines can be more difficult to correct than injections, especially in young children. If someone has a stuffy nose or sneezes a portion of the vaccine before it is completely absorbed, it can be less than the desired dose. There are also some unique health risks. All vaccines have undergone rigorous safety and clinical trials, but these processes are especially important for nasal vaccines due to the simple fact that the nose is close to the brain.

In 2000, 27.7% of people vaccinated with inactivated intranasal influenza vaccine in Switzerland developed a transient facial paralysis, also known as Bell’s palsy. Researchers later discovered that the cause was a bacterial toxin added to the vaccine to boost the immune response.

This is the only reported neurological problem caused by an intranasal vaccine, but there are some things to consider.

How long does it take to get the intranasal Covid-19 vaccine ready?

As of late May 2022, there are no approved Covid-19 intranasal vaccines for human use. There are currently seven clinical trials, three of which are Phase 3 human trials manufactured by Beijing Wantai Biological Pharmacy, Bharat Biotech, and Codagenix and Serum Institute of India.

In the coming months, the results of these trials will show not only how safe these promising new vaccines are, but also whether they are superior to the vaccines currently in use.