Posted on 11/25/2024 1:13:45 PM PST by nickcarraway
Needle-free nano-vaccine, cheap to produce, requires no refrigeration and is administered as nasal spray, making it accessible to developing nations.y
A pair of scientists from Israel and Portugal have developed an inexpensive and effective new nano-vaccine against Covid-19, which can be stored at room temperature and administered as a nasal spray.
The breakthrough vaccine trains the immune system against all common Covid-19 variants with the same efficiency as existing vaccines.
But it does not require an injection or a cold supply chain and cold storage, making it ideal for vaccinating at-risk populations in developing countries and in remote regions.
In addition, the scientists believe it paves the way to the development of simpler, more effective, and less expensive vaccines in the future.
Prof. Ronit Satchi-Fainaro from Tel Aviv University’s Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences developed the vaccine in collaboration with Prof. Helena Florindo at the University of Lisbon.
“The new nano-vaccine’s development was inspired by a decade of research on cancer vaccines,” said Satchi-Fainaro. “When the Covid-19 pandemic began, we set a new goal: training our cancer platform to identify and target the coronavirus.”
Satchi-Fainaro said the researchers did not rely on full protein expression via mRNA, unlike the Moderna and Pfizer Covid vaccines.
“Instead, using our computational bioinformatics tools, we identified two short and simple amino acid sequences in the virus’s protein, then synthesized them, and encapsulated them in nanoparticles.”
“Our nano-vaccine offers a significant advantage over existing vaccines because it is needle-free and administered as a nasal spray,” said Satchi-Fainaro.
“This eliminates the need for skilled personnel such as nurses and technicians to administer injections, while also reducing risks of contamination and sharps [biohazardous] waste. Anyone can use a nasal spray, with no prior training.”
Stored as powder, as effective as Pfizer
Another major advantage of the nano-vaccine is its minimal storage requirements.
Moderna’s sensitive mRNA-based vaccine must be kept at -20°C and Pfizer’s at -70°C, generating great logistic and technological challenges, such as shipping in special aircraft and ultra-cold storage from the factory to the vaccination station.
The synthetic nanoparticles are far more durable and can be stored as a powder at room temperature.
“There’s no need for freezing or special handling,” said Satchi-Fainaro. “You just mix the powder with saline to create the spray. For testing purposes [as part of the EU’s ISIDORe Integrated Services for Infectious Disease Outbreak Research feasibility program] we shipped the powder at room temperature to the INSERM infectious diseases lab in France. Their tests showed that our nano-vaccine is at least as effective as Pfizer’s vaccine.”
Aside from its value to developing countries, Satchi-Fainaro said the plug-and-play technology provides a platform enabling scientists to synthesize more effective and affordable vaccines for future pandemics.
“[The technology] can train the immune system to fight cancer or infectious diseases like Covid-19. We are currently expanding its use to target a range of additional diseases, enabling the rapid development of relevant new vaccines when needed,” she said.
The research has received grants from the Israel Innovation Authority and Merck under the Nofar program, as well as funding from Spain’s La Caixa Foundation Impulse as an accelerated program, and support from the ISIDORe feasibility program.
It is also part of a broader vaccine platform development program at Satchi-Fainaro’s lab, supported by a European Research Council Advanced Grant.
Thx!
There are inhalable influenza vaccines already. They supposedly don’t work too well. If one could visualize all the tiny particles floating around....antigens, toxins, viruses, bacteria,poop, etc...everyone would stay at home under a tent using double Hepa filters and watch reruns of the Price is Right
American TV left me. It became too progressive and, one by one, I stopped watching my favorite shows. I’m a film fan and there’s only so long I could watch reruns of old shows, so...
I was told about a cop drama and watched it. Was hooked almost instantly. Yes, subtitles are a pain, but good shows are worth it. Korean and Chinese dramas captured me and I was lost to American TV for good. The morality echoes American TV of the 1950’s but the production quality and acting are pure today. Have been watching for several years thru several cheap subscription services. There is NO communist bent at all.
I seldom watch the big screen plasma I bought. Mostly, the significant other watches it. She watches way too much, but it is usually NetFlix or Hulu or some other streaming deal.
Husband refuses NetFlix for their Obama connection, so I miss some good Korean and Chinese dramas there that I hear about. I stick with viki.com for the most part. As I remember, yearly fee about $15 for top price. Cop shows, romance dramas, some crime dramas, historicals. I love things with a comedic bent but not slapstick.
You can get a feel for the shows from my music videos. They’re often used to suck people into a particular fandom so that there’s someone to oooh and aaah together with.
Guardian - cop and Superman buddy show
Guardian - Superman - Crash Test Dummies
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8yBMESQ3Ac
Guardian - Holding Out for a Hero - Bonnie Tyler
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJ69OAj30jM
****
Special Forces falls for anti-violence Doctor
Descendants of the Sun - I Will Hold My Ground - Darryl Worley
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSMDQoTlNK8&feature=youtu.be
****
Romance - Narcissistic Boss Shocked Secretary Quits
What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim - Sweet Caroline - Neil Diamond
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v56TH-cCGA0
****
Alien Romance
My Love from the Star - Time in a Bottle - Jim Croce
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPVZhL7ccxA
****
Historical - Bloody but also Funny
Love Like the Galaxy - Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood - The Animals
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FM8vVpfmlGQ
Historical
Love Like the Galaxy - My Next Thirty Years - Tim McGraw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9-2cgpkX8g
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