Researchers Design Intranasal Vaccine For Measles, Mumps, COVID variants
According to a study that was recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS), a team of researchers have formulated a trivalent intranasal vaccine known as MMS which protects against measles, mumps, and various SARS-CoV-2 variants.
This innovative vaccine provides robust and lasting protection against significant variants of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).
The researchers based their approach on the established safety record of the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine platform.
The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by SARS-CoV-2, resulted in over 6.96 million fatalities and more than 771 million infections worldwide as of October 2023.
While numerous vaccines using the prefusion spike (S) protein have been developed, they face challenges such as reduced efficacy against evolving SARS-CoV-2 variants, short-lived protection, and the absence of mucosal immunity.
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The emergence of various variants, notably the heavily mutated Omicron strain, presents difficulties for current vaccines.
As a result, there is an urgent need for more effective vaccines. Given the persistent emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants and the limitations of existing vaccines, further research is crucial for the development of next-generation intranasal vaccines capable of providing broader mucosal immunity and adaptability to evolving strains.
The modified MMR vaccine generates robust immune responses in both the systemic and lung-specific regions, offering defence against multiple SARS-CoV-2 strains, including the Delta and Omicron BA.1 variants.
Unlike monovalent vaccines with limited protective scope, this trivalent vaccine exhibits broad neutralization capabilities against diverse virus strains.
Administered intranasally, the MMS vaccine elicits robust immune responses systemically and within mucosal areas, potentially safeguarding against SARS-CoV-2 variants.
The adaptability of the vaccine allows for easy adjustments to address newly emerging variants, therefore, this next-generation COVID-19 vaccine candidate offers comprehensive and enduring protection, emphasising its potential as a significant tool against SARS-CoV-2 variants.
