A recent study in monkeys indicates that delivering the COVID-19 vaccine directly to the respiratory tract, the primary site of SARS-CoV-2 infection, could lead to enhanced protection against the disease. While the global COVID-19 vaccination campaign has been successful in saving an estimated 20 million lives, current vaccines primarily protect against severe disease but do little to prevent infection and transmission.
The study, led by Dr. Dan H. Barouch from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) in the US, demonstrated that novel immunization strategies significantly increased mucosal immunity in non-human primates, improving protective efficacy against mucosal virus challenges. The research suggests that delivering the vaccine directly to the respiratory tract may improve protection against COVID-19.
The study involved 40 adult rhesus macaques primed with the Ad26 COVID-19 vaccine (Janssen/Johnson & Johnson) administered intramuscularly (IM). A year later, the animals received a booster via different routes: IM, intranasal (IN), and intratracheal (IT). Another group received the Pfizer-BioNTech bivalent mRNA vaccine via the IN route, and a sham group received no boosters.
When challenged with a high dose of the virus, the macaques that received the Ad26 booster via the IT route showed near-complete protection and induced greater mucosal immunity compared to the IN or IM routes. However, mRNA IN boosting was ineffective, indicating the need for improved formulations for effective mucosal delivery of mRNA vaccines.
The findings suggest the feasibility of developing vaccines to block respiratory viral infections, potentially enhancing protection against COVID-19.
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