In a major step towards
the treatment of respiratory diseases like COVID-19, scientists have developed
an inhalation delivery system for vaccines. The findings, which
are published in the journal Med, suggest that the system generates potent
immune responses in mice and non-human primates, without causing lung damage.

Apart from COVID-19, this method protects against airborne pathogens that cause
diseases such as influenza, tuberculosis, Ebola and measles.

“This
translational strategy potentially enables more effective delivery of
therapeutics or vaccines while reducing the chance of toxic side effects,”
said study co-author Wadih Arap from Rutgers Cancer Institute in the US.

The researchers have
said that this mode of vaccine delivery has many advantages when compared to
other routes, particularly for the development of vaccines against respiratory
infections as the therapeutics arrive directly at the site of the infection.

They added that inhalation-based
vaccination is needle free and minimally invasive and is especially great for
administrating multiple doses. This method also improves bioavailability and reduces
potential toxic side effects by achieving a rapid onset of action. They further
added that the system is safe and effective, and  also has several unique
advantages for the development of vaccines and therapeutics against airborne
pathogens.

The researchers have
also devised and demonstrated a safe and effective lung delivery system. This
involves use of phages, which are the viruses that can infect and replicate
within bacterial cells. In some of the vaccines, phage particles carrying small
proteins, or peptides, are used to trigger protective immune responses.

The study stated that
the phage particles are highly stable under harsh environmental conditions, and
their large-scale production is also extremely cost-effective when compared to other
traditional methods used for vaccine production.

“In addition,
phage particles are versatile and can be genetically engineered by standard
molecular biology technology,” Arap said.