This new research is the future of our vaccines and it’s dry in a good way

In a remarkable development, researchers from the Institute of Process Engineering (IPE) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences introduced a revolutionary “nano-micro composite” delivery concept for vaccines. This cutting-edge approach has given rise to a single-dose, dry-powder, inhalable vaccine platform, demonstrating remarkable efficacy in blocking respiratory viral infections and transmission in animal models. The study holds the promise of transforming the landscape of vaccine development for infectious respiratory diseases.

Despite significant strides in recent years, vaccines aimed at infectious respiratory diseases have limitations. These vaccines, a majority of which are administered through intramuscular , mainly trigger a humoral immune response, relying on blood antibodies to neutralize the virus. A mucosal immune response that would establish a robust immune barrier in the respiratory tract does not happen.

An inadequacy of current adjuvants, such as adjuvants, that are unable to induce cellular immune responses, challenges in the form of low-temperature conditions necessary for vaccines in liquid form, and the inconvenience of multi-dose vaccination schedules further hinder effective immunization. The nano-micro composite vaccine platform. To overcome these challenges, Professor WEI Wei and Prof.

MA Guanghui from the State Key Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering at IPE, in collaboration with Professor WANG Hengliang and Professor ZHU Li from the State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, developed an innovative vaccine platform. This platform combines biodegradable microspheres with , allowing the surface of these nanoparticles to simultaneously display multiple antigens. This feature induces a broad-spectrum immune response, offering an expanded range of vaccine protection.

The unique nano-micro composite structure of the platform allows the lungs to efficiently respond with immune responses, ensuring high-performance delivery. These antigen-nanoparticles are efficiently taken up by antigen-presenting cells, once released, enhancing the effectiveness of the vaccine. Furthermore, the dry powder significantly reduces storage and transportation costs, making it suitable for areas with limited refrigeration facilities, thus improving immunization rates.

Advantages and future applications. The platform presents benefits that extend well beyond convenience and cost-effectiveness. The sustained release of antigens enabled by the platform induces long-lasting humoral, cellular, and mucosal immunity with just a single inhalation.

The researchers also developed a model in collaboration with Professor HE Zhanlong of the Institute of Medical Biology of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, showcasing the airborne protection, close contact protection, and airborne transmission-blocking capabilities of the inhaled vaccine. “The components of this nano-micro system used natural proteins and approved polymer materials,” said Professor WEI Wei in a , emphasizing the effectiveness of their platform. “The effectiveness and safety of the vaccine have been systematically studied in non-human primates, indicating its great potential for clinical translation,” he added.

This recent research marks a significant step forward in the quest for safer and more efficient vaccines for respiratory infections. As the world grapples with challenges posed by respiratory viruses, this breakthrough may well prove to be the game-changer in our fight against infectious diseases. The research team’s findings are published in the journal The COVID-19 pandemic has fostered major advances in vaccination technologies ; however, there are urgent needs for vaccines that induce mucosal immune responses and for single-dose, non-invasive administration.

Here we develop an inhalable, single-dose, dry powder aerosol SARS-CoV-2 vaccine that induces potent systemic and mucosal immune responses. The vaccine encapsulates assembled nanoparticles comprising proteinaceous cholera toxin B subunits displaying the SARS-CoV-2 RBD antigen within microcapsules of optimal aerodynamic size, and this unique nano–micro coupled structure supports efficient alveoli delivery, sustained antigen release and antigen-presenting cell uptake, which are favourable features for the induction of immune responses. Moreover, this vaccine induces strong production of IgG and IgA, as well as a local T cell response, collectively conferring effective protection against SARS-CoV-2 in mice, hamsters and nonhuman primates.

Finally, we also demonstrate a mosaic iteration of the vaccine that co-displays ancestral and Omicron antigens, extending the breadth of antibody response against co-circulating strains and transmission of the Omicron variant. These findings support the use of this inhaled vaccine as a promising multivalent platform for fighting COVID-19 and other respiratory infectious diseases. .