Science Sub-Journal: HIV Nasal Vaccine

An assistant professor at the University of Minnesota is part of a team that has developed a new way to effectively deliver a vaccine through nasal mucosal tissue to better protect the body from the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and the virus that causes COVID-19 infection with pathogens such as SARS-CoV-2.

The researchers tested the technique in mice and non-human primates and found that the vaccine produced a strong immune response, paving the way for further research and development of a nasal vaccin.

The study was published in Science Translational Medicin.

Historically, nasal vaccines (via a nebulizer) have been difficult to manufacture successfull.

However, nasal vaccines have the potential to produce stronger immunity than current vaccines given with a needl.

Brittany Hartwell, first author of the paper and assistant professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, explained: "Traditional injectable vaccines are generally not designed to build immunity in these mucosal tissue.

Hartwell and her team have found a way to help vaccine antigens bypass the mucosal barrier of the nasal cavity by making them bind to a protein called albumin, which occurs naturally in the human body and has the ability to bypass these obstacle.

What's more, the researchers' vaccine was shown to generate immunity not only in the nose, but also in other mucosal tissues of the body, including the upper respiratory system, lungs, and genitourinary syste.

"This is really important for the mucosal vaccination field," Hartwell sai.

Hartwell continues to research and develop this new vaccine technology in his lab at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, and hopes to apply it to other diseases in the futur.

Intranasal vaccination with lipid-conjugated immunogens promotes antigen transmucosal uptake to drive mucosal and systemic immunity