Research led by Centenary Institute and the University of Sydney, focusing on the development of a new nasal vaccine against COVID-19, has received nearly $1 million in grants from the Acceleration Grants Program of the NSW COVID-19 vaccine.
The grant, worth $995,867, will support the development of a nasally inhaled COVID-19 vaccine to induce immunity in the respiratory tract and block the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 to help prevent disease.
The project’s principal investigator, Professor Warwick Britton AO, Head of the Tuberculosis Research Program at the Centenary Institute, said there is an urgent need for new vaccine strategies that block the transmission of COVID-19.
“Although approved vaccines substantially reduce serious illness and hospitalization, there is little evidence that they block viral transmission, particularly for newly emerging variants,” Professor Britton said.
“This is because current intramuscular vaccines do not stimulate the production of virus-neutralizing antibodies and T cells in the nasal cavity and airways, places where infection begins in the body.”
Professor Britton said his new nasal vaccine, developed with Dr Anneliese Ashhurst (Medical Sciences) and Professor Richard Payne (Chemistry) from the University of Sydney, would be inhaled to build immunity in the nasal passages as well as the respiratory tract and lungs. to provide protection against viral infections.
A critical part of the research will be the development of a stable, dry form of the vaccine, with Dr. Paul Young of Ab Initio Pharma, to facilitate nasal delivery. The efficacy of the vaccine will be determined in preclinical models of SARS-CoV2 infection as a pathway to human clinical trials.
“If successfully translated into the clinic, this vaccine strategy would be a transformative innovation in the fight against SARS-CoV-2, addressing needs not covered by current vaccines,” said Professor Britton.
“It provides an approach to reduce morbidity related to COVID-19 in vulnerable populations and also to limit viral transmission among the wider community, thereby reducing disruption to our economy and our daily lives.”
The Office of Health and Medical Research’s COVID-19 Vaccine Acceleration Research Grant Scheme supports the research and development of next-generation vaccines against COVID-19 in NSW.
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