New method of nasal vaccine delivery could lead to better vaccines for HIV and COVID-19
August 10. 2022 — University of Minnesota Department of Biomedical Engineering Assistant Professor Brittany Hartwell is part of a team that has developed a new way to effectively deliver vaccines through mucosal tissues in the nose that could lead to better protection against pathogens like human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
The researchers tested the technology on mice and non-human primates and found that the vaccine generated strong immune responses, paving the way for further study and development of nasal vaccines.
The study is published in Science Translational Medicine, an interdisciplinary medical journal published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
“This is really significant for the field of mucosal vaccination,” said Hartwell, first author on the paper. “It shows something new, that we’ve designed a vaccine capable of overcoming barriers to delivery that have historically plagued the development of other mucosal vaccines. It’s particularly relevant right now because we’re all living in the midst of the COVID pandemic that’s continuing to affect our lives. And as long as there’s spread and transmission, the virus has a chance to evolve into new variants with the potential to be harmful. This research shows the development of a slightly different kind of vaccine that could provide even better protection than what we currently have by blocking transmission, preventing us from catching and passing the virus onto others.”