A nasal spray for vaccination against Covid-19 has proven to be clearly more effective in animal tests than the mRNA vaccines that are administered into the muscles. The study provides “convincing evidence of the superiority” of a live, attenuated vaccine administered through the nose in preventing the transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the Free University of Berlin announced on Tuesday.
The Berlin researchers, who have been working on an alternative vaccine for some time, compared the effectiveness of the nasal spray vaccine with the mRNA vaccine Comirnaty in the study with hamsters. It was a joint project of the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) and the German Research Foundation (DFG).
Vaccines administered into the muscles therefore have limited ability to induce robust immune responses in the upper respiratory tract via the mucous membranes. But they are the entry point for the virus. The live vaccine also contains all virus components and not just the spike protein, as is the case with the mRNA vaccine.
The preclinical study in infected and vaccinated hamsters confirmed the superiority of the nasal spray vaccine in preventing virus transmission. The experts spoke of a “new milestone” in research into vaccination alternatives against Covid-19 and the various virus variants.
“Our results provide compelling evidence for the benefits of locally administered live attenuated vaccines over intramuscularly administered mRNA vaccines,” explains virologist Jakob Trimpert, one of the lead authors of the study.
The principle of live, attenuated vaccines is old and is used, for example, in vaccinations against measles or rubella. (saw/sda/afp)
Source: Blick
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