The tool may be the next step in the once-mythical idea of a universal vaccine, researchers said.
STANFORD, Calif. — A single nasal spray could soon protect people against everything from respiratory viruses to allergens, nearing the once mythical “Holy Grail” status of a universal vaccine, according to researchers from Stanford University.
Scientists published their findings in the Science academic journal on Thursday, in which they show the vaccine formula has worked on a “remarkably wide spectrum of respiratory threats” in mice. Mice lungs have long been used to model human lungs in scientific studies due to their genetic similarities.
The study showed that mice given a drop of the vaccine up their noses were protected against COVID-19, the flu, pneumonia, some bacterial infections, and even dust mite allergens for at least 3 months. The vaccine’s success was attributed to it mimicking the signals immune cells use during an infection, rather than trying to mimic pathogens.
“We were interested in this idea because it sounded a bit outrageous. I think nobody was seriously entertaining that something like this could ever be possible,” Dr. Bali Pulendran, the study’s senior author, said in a Stanford press release. “I think what we have is a universal vaccine against diverse respiratory threats.”
Researchers hope to test the vaccine in humans next in a safety trial followed by a larger research trial. Pulendran believes it would take two doses of the spray to provide protection in humans.
“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,” Pulendran said in the press release. “That would transform medical practice.”
