In a study, Berlin researchers compared the effectiveness of a not yet approved nasal spray against the coronavirus with that of a well-known mRNA vaccine and found the spray to be ‘superior’.
The researchers from the Free University of Berlin, who have been working on an alternative vaccine for some time, compared the effectiveness of the nasal spray vaccine with the mRNA vaccine Comirnaty in the study with hamsters. Vaccines administered into the muscles therefore have limited ability to induce robust immune responses in the upper respiratory tract via the mucous membranes. But they are the entry point for the virus. The live vaccine also contains all the virus components and not just the spike protein, as is the case with the mRNA vaccine.
“Another milestone” in research into alternatives
According to a statement from the university on Tuesday, the preclinical study involving infected and vaccinated hamsters confirmed the superiority of the nasal spray vaccine in preventing virus transmission. The experts spoke of a “new milestone” in research into vaccination alternatives against Covid-19 and the various virus variants.
“Our results provide compelling evidence for the benefits of locally administered live attenuated vaccines over intramuscularly administered mRNA vaccines,” explains virologist Jakob Trimpert, one of the lead authors of the study. The principle of live, attenuated vaccines is old and is used, for example, in vaccinations against measles or rubella.
Source: Krone
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