We’re one step closer to a ‘universal vaccine’ for the cold, flu, Covid and allergies
For anyone terrified of needles, we have some good news for you – we’re one step closer to a one-size-fits-all vaccine for cold, flu and Covid.
US health experts say a simple nasal spray could help boost people’s immunity to respiratory viruses, bacteria and allergy triggers.
While the study, published in the journal Science, was carried out on mice, researchers say it shows promising results for humans.
On top of the coronavirus, the jab Stanford Medicine experts developed is also effective against the skin infection, staph.
The drug-resistant bacteria behind the infection, staphylococcus, causes a pus-filled blister that can become serious if it enters the bloodstream.
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The jab also protected the mice from Acinetobacter baumannii, another bacterium that can easily outfox drugs, which causes lung infections.
Finally, people allergic to house dust mites will be relieved to know that the vaccine could one day offer them protection.
What excites experts is that not only could the vaccine replace the October rush for flu and Covid jabs, but it could work against new pandemic bugs.
Dr Bali Pulendran, director of the Institute for Immunity, Transplantation and Infection at Stanford Medicine and lead author, said: ‘I think what we have is a universal vaccine against diverse respiratory threats…
‘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.’
Health officials are always keeping an eye out for so-called ‘disease X’, a hypothetical disease that they fear could cause the next pandemic.
It’s a disease that governments are unprepared for, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Most vaccines grant immunity for a brief window, typically about a year, which is why booster shots are important.
How does the vaccine work?
Vaccines work by injecting a weakened version of a virus or shredded parts of it that can’t infect you to train your body how to respond.
But this new one, with the catchy name GLA-3M-052-LS+OVA, works a little differently.
The spray was first dropped into the noses of mice.
It then energised the animals’ T cells, which can raise the alarm and help marshal other immune cells to fight an infection in the lungs.
Tucked inside the spray is a powerless version of an antigen, which are molecules that sparks the immune system into action.
So, rather than injecting an empty husk of a pathogen for a body to stave off, the vaccine replicates the signals immune cells communicate with.
The next step for Dr Pulendran is to test the nasal spray on people next by exposing them to infections, first with a small group, then a larger one.
Brendan Wren, professor of microbial pathogenesis at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, told Metro that you might not be popping into your local Boots for this nasal spray anytime soon.
‘At least a decade, it is at a preliminary stage and there would need to be enormous evaluation to ensure that there are not any unintended consequences of such a vaccine,’ he said.
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