Research from Griffith University in New South Wales, published in Nature Communications, tested the efficacy of delivering a coronavirus vaccine through the nose.
The university said this would be “a huge game changer” not just for vaccine distribution, but also for people who are afraid of needles.
Professor Suresh Mahalingam from the Griffiths Institute for Biomedicine and Glycomics has been working on this research for four years.
“It is designed to be given as a single dose, ideally as a booster vaccine, as a safe alternative to needles, which will not cause any adverse reactions in the short or long term,” Mahalingam said.
Lead author Dr. Xiang Liu said the vaccine provides cross-protection against all variants of concern.
“This vaccine provides powerful protection against infection, prevents reinfection and spread of the virus, as well as reduces the formation of new variants,” Dr. Liu said.
“Unlike mRNA vaccines, which only target the spike protein, CDO-7N-1 generates immunity to all major SARS-CoV-2 proteins and is highly effective against all major variants to date.
“Importantly, this vaccine remains stable at four degrees for up to seven months, making it ideal for low- and middle-income countries.”
The license for this vaccine has been given to the leading vaccine manufacturer company Indian Immunologicals Limited.