From a greenhouse and a bioreactor
The first heat-resistant vaccine patches from COVID-19 have confirmed the effectiveness
Svetlana Maslova, Hi-tech+
American scientists from the University of California, San Diego presented the results of the first preclinical studies of new experimental vaccines that can be used even in hot climates without special environmental storage conditions. The first candidate was developed on the basis of the cow pea mosaic virus, and the second – bacteriophage Q beta.
Article by Ortega-Rivera et al. Trivalent Subunit Vaccine Candidates for COVID-19 and Their Delivery Devices published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society – VM.
The nanoparticles used in vaccines are very stable at high temperatures. In addition, this approach ensures easy and inexpensive production on a large scale, the scientists explain.
Another important advantage of the new approach was the use of a component of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, which does not bind to the host cell and rarely undergoes mutations.
According to the authors, this feature will make candidate vaccines very effective against existing and new variants of SARS-CoV-2.
Preclinical experiments on mouse models have shown that the drugs provide high production of neutralizing antibodies. It is noteworthy that the method of delivery – using a conventional injection, in a subcutaneous implant or through a patch with microneedles – did not affect the result.
Using a patch with microneedles will allow people to inject vaccines themselves in any convenient place. Such an approach should certainly reduce the risks of infection and reduce the burden on medical personnel. And vaccination is to become really massive and fast.
The concept of creating vaccines can become universal for other viruses – potential threats of new outbreaks. In each case, it will only be necessary to replace the target component of the virus in order to adapt the vaccine to a new pathogen, the authors concluded.
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