Mucosal vaccination in mice provides protection from diverse respiratory threats, 2026, Zhang et al

[Sasha]

BBC: 'Single vaccine could protect against all coughs, colds and flus, researchers say

The article says:

A single nasal spray vaccine could protect against all coughs, colds and flus, as well as bacterial lung infections, and may even ease allergies, say US researchers.

The team at Stanford University have tested their "universal vaccine" in animals and still need to do human clinical trials.​

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Their approach marks a "radical departure" from the way vaccines have been designed for more than 200 years, they say.​

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The approach described in the journal Science, external does not train the immune system. Instead it mimics the way immune cells communicate with each other.​

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It is given as a nasal spray and leaves white blood cells in our lungs – called macrophages – on "amber alert" and ready to jump into action no matter what infection tries to get in.​

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The effect lasted for around three months in animal experiments.​

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The researchers showed this heightened state of readiness led to a 100-to-1,000-fold reduction in viruses getting through the lungs and into the body.​

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There may also be consequences to dialling up the immune system beyond its normal state – raising questions of immune disorders.​

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Jonathan Ball, professor of molecular virology at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, said the work was undeniably "exciting" but cautioned "we have to ensure that keeping the body on 'high alert' doesn't lead to friendly fire, where a hyper-ready immune system accidentally triggers unwelcome side effects".​

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The research team in the US does not think the immune system should be permanently dialled up and think such a vaccine should be used to compliment rather than replace current vaccines.​

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In the first stages of a pandemic, like early 2020 with Covid, a universal vaccine could buy time and save lives while a specialist vaccine was being developed.​

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"That would reduce mortality, disease severity, and perhaps build up a level of immune resilience that would have a huge impact," says Pulendran.​

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The other scenario is at the start of winter when the usual wide range of winter bugs start to spread, "one could imagine a seasonal spray that could be administered to imprint broad immunity" against them all.​

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I love the idea of being virus-proof - but I'd have thought that if this was such a great idea, we'd have evolved to do it and that there must be a very good reason why we haven't.

Wondering what people think about this?

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[hotblack]

There’s a bit more detail in the abstract on Science, I don’t have full access though

Traditional vaccines target specific pathogens, limiting their scope against diverse respiratory threats. We describe an intranasal liposomal formulation combining toll-like receptor (TLR) 4 and 7/8 ligands with a model antigen, ovalbumin, that provided broad, durable protection in mice for at least 3 months against infection with SARS-CoV-2 and Staphylococcus aureus. In addition, the vaccine protected mice from other viruses (SARS-CoV-2, SARS, SCH014 coronavirus), bacteria (Acinetobacter baumannii), and allergens. Protection was mediated by persistent ovalbumin-specific CD4+ and CD8+ memory T cells that imprinted alveolar macrophages (AMs), enhancing antigen presentation and antiviral immunity. Following infection, vaccinated mice mounted rapid pathogen-specific T cell and antibody responses and formed ectopic lymphoid structures in the lung. These results reveal a class of “universal vaccines” against diverse respiratory threats.

And on this article on the Stanford website, a few snippets

The new vaccine doesn’t try to mimic any part of a pathogen; instead, it mimics the signals that immune cells use to communicate with each other during an infection. This novel strategy integrates the two branches of immunity — innate and adaptive — creating a feedback loop that sustains a broad immune response.

The new vaccine, for now known as GLA-3M-052-LS+OVA, mimics the T cell signals that directly stimulate innate immune cells in the lungs. It also contains a harmless antigen, an egg protein called ovalbumin or OVA, which recruits T cells into the lungs to maintain the innate response for weeks to months.

The vaccine is a “double whammy” against viral infection, Pulendran said. The prolonged innate response lowers the amount of virus in the lungs by 700-fold. And viruses that slip through this initial defense are met with a swift adaptive response in the lungs.

In the best case scenario, with enough funding, Pulendran estimates a universal respiratory vaccine might be available in five to seven years. It could be a bulwark against new pandemics and simplify seasonal vaccinations.

 

[Jonathan Edwards]

I love the idea of being virus-proof - but I'd have thought that if this was such a great idea, we'd have evolved to do it and that there must be a very good reason why we haven't.

Indeed. Do we want to feel groggy from an adjuvant we have to have every three months all our lives?

And it isn't a vaccine, anyway.

 

[hotblack]

Indeed. Do we want to feel groggy from an adjuvant we have to have every three months all our lives?

I”ve just realised why a feedback loop between innate and adaptive immune systems involving macrophages sounded familiar…

 

[Trish]

Maybe this would be particularly useful for patients in circumstances where they are particularly vulnerable to infections, rather than something for everyone, particularly if it's short lived and has side effects.