A nasal spray vaccine protecting against colds, flu, Covid and allergies could be within reach after promising early-stage laboratory results in mice.
There is rarely a time of year free from respiratory illness. Winter brings colds and flu, while spring and simmer usher in hay fever. Now, researchers at Stanford Medicine say a new vaccine formula could be a significant step towards longer-lasting protection.
The vaccine, delivered via a nasal spray, was shown in mice to protect against a range of respiratory viruses, bacteria which causes sepsis and even house dust mites. If developed for humans, it could replace multiple winter jabs and may offer defence against new pandemic threats.
‘I think what we have is a universal vaccine against diverse respiratory threats,’ Dr Bali Pulendran, director of the Institute for Immunity, Transplantation and Infection at Stanford Medicine and lead author of the study, said.
‘Imagine getting a nasal spray in the fall months that protects you from all respiratory viruses including Covid-19, influenza, respiratory syncytial virus and the common cold, as well as bacterial pneumonia and early spring allergens. That would transform medical practice.’
For the study, published in the journal Science, mice were given a drop of the vaccine in their noses, offering protection for several months.
Rather than mimicking part of a pathogen, the vaccine is designed to imitate the immune system’s internal communication signals. Researchers found that T cells in the lungs could prompt innate immune cells to remain on alert against potential threats.
Dr Pulendran said two doses could be sufficient for people and estimated that, depending on funding, it might be available within the next five to seven years.
However, some experts have urged caution. Professor Ian Jones, a virologist at the University of Reading, said while the design may influence future vaccines, a universal jab remains some way off.
He told the Independent: ‘We are some way from a true one-jab-and-forget-it vaccine as the safety considerations are considerable given how diverse the human population is. A one size fits all may not work and the current seasonal jabs, for flu or Covid or RSV, will remain the normal for some time yet.’
Meanwhile, Professor Daniela Ferreira, of the University of Oxford, described the findings as ‘exciting’.
‘Over our lifetime, we’re constantly exposed to viruses and bacteria that infect the airways,’ she explained. ‘As a result, most of us carry ‘memory’ immune cells, including some that live in the lining of the nose and lungs.
‘This research shows it may be possible to use that existing immune memory as a foundation for broadly protection – even of unrelated pathogens.’
Image: Brittany Colette/UnSplash
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