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Inhaled vaccines could reduce viral transmission

An important step toward advancing vaccines for human use, a recent study has shown that inhaled vaccines could potentially improve efficiency and reduce viral transmission.

Medical practitioner using mask inhaler on a patient

Interest in administering vaccines mucosally, rather than by intramuscular injections, has been growing since the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic was declared in 2020. 

Working in collaboration, scientists from the Pandemic Sciences Institute and The Pirbright Institute used pigs as a model to explore immune system responses to mucosally-administered flu vaccines, which target viruses at the point of entry.

Comprehensive measurement of immune responses in human lungs is not possible. To overcome this challenge, the researchers used pigs - whose respiratory tract is anatomically and functionally similar to that of humans - as a model to define key immune responses. 

Read the full story on the Nuffield Department of Medicine (NDM) website.  

 

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