- Although the currently available COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective, limited manufacturing capacity and the need for cold-chain storage hinder their global distribution.
- A recent study tested the efficacy of a new adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector-based vaccine in mice and macaques.
- A single dose of the AAV-based vaccine provided protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection in macaques and elicited a potent immune response against the virus for at least 11 months.
- The vaccine was stable at room temperature for 1 month and could potentially be manufactured on a large scale using established processes.
While nearly 42% of the global population have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, only 1.9% of individuals in low income countries have received at least one vaccine dose.
This inequitable distribution is, at least partly, due to the limited supply of vaccines and the stockpiling of vaccines by rich nations.
With the successful vaccination of a substantial proportion of the population in wealthier countries, the supply and distribution of vaccines to middle and low income nations are improvingTrusted Source.
However, despite the increase in the supply of the vaccines that provide a high degree of protection against COVID-19, the vaccines do have limitations.
The current COVID-19 vaccines includeTrusted Source mRNA vaccines, such as the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines, and adenovirus vaccines, such as the Oxford-AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines.
All of these, except the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, involve a two-dose regimen, and many of them require storage at cold or ultracold temperatures.
The finite global manufacturing capacity and the lack of the necessary cold storage infrastructure in low income countries are some of the major challenges impeding the global supply and availability of vaccines.
This, along with the emergence of new SARS-CoV-2 variants and the uncertainty about the duration of protection the currently available vaccines provide, suggests the need for new, durable, and easily deployable vaccines.
To address these concerns, a group of researchers is developing a vaccine candidate using an AAV as a vector.
Authors of a recent study, which appears in the journal Cell Host & Microbe, found that a single dose of a vaccine candidate AAVCOVID-1 (AC1) elicited an immune response against SARS-CoV-2 for at least 11 months in macaques. The vaccine candidate was also stable at room temperature for 1 month and produced an immune response against current variants of concern.
Lead author of the study, Dr. Luk Vandenberghe, associate professor at Harvard University and director of the Grousbeck Gene Therapy Center in Boston, MA, told Medical News Today:
“COVID-19 is a continued global health concern for which a number of highly effective vaccines are available to mitigate the pandemic. The data on our experimental vaccine shows that it has the potential to address two of the remaining concerns that prevent effective management of the situation.”
“First, vaccines need to be available for effective deployment worldwide: our data indicates AAVCOVID to be a single-dose vaccine with room-temperature stability to facilitate vaccine campaigns effectively. Second,” Dr. Vandenberghe continued, “our animal data indicates a durability of the immune response that is generally thought to be leading to protection from disease.”
News
First controllable nanoscale gas-liquid interface fabricated
When liquid meets gas, a unique zone forms. Variable by nature, molecules can cross from one state to another, combining in unique ways to either desirable or unwanted ends. From heat escaping a mug [...]
Offshoot of Covid Delta variant on the rise in England
A newly detected coronavirus variant is on the rise in England, with the virus believed to be an offshoot of Delta. According to a briefing from the UK Health Security Agency, released on Friday, [...]
New testing strategy rapidly quantifies transmissibility of COVID-19 variants
A team of researchers has developed a new nanomechanical technique for fast, one-step, immune-affinity tests, which can quantify the immune response induced by different COVID-19 variants in serum. Their technique provides a new tool [...]
New Method Developed for 3D Printing Living Microbes To Enhance Biomaterials
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientists have developed a new method for 3D printing living microbes in controlled patterns, expanding the potential for using engineered bacteria to recover rare-earth metals, clean wastewater, detect uranium, [...]
Researchers use AI to Develop Tool for Predicting Cancer Nanomedicine Outcomes
Nanomedicines may offer clinicians a way to deliver precise, targeted therapy directly to tumors without damaging surrounding tissue. Yet, progress in the development of new drugs that treat cancer at the nanoparticle level has [...]
Mito warriors: Scientists discover how T cell assassins reload their weapons to kill and kill again
Cambridge researchers have discovered how T cells—an important component of our immune system—are able keep on killing as they hunt down and kill cancer cells, repeatedly reloading their toxic weapons. Cytotoxic T [...]
Russians ‘have a hard time trusting their own vaccine,’ expert says
Sunday, October 3, set records for the most COVID-19 deaths in Russia on a single day. Only 29% of people in Russia are vaccinated, despite the country being the first to approve a vaccine. [...]
Nanosilver is not a ‘silver bullet’ in long-term treatment of infections
New research from the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) has found that pathogens that form biofilms can evolve to survive nanosilver treatment. The study is the first to demonstrate that long-term nanosilver treatment can [...]
Delta variant has 235% higher risk of ICU admission than original virus
New variants of SARS-CoV-2 are more virulent and transmissible than the original variant of the virus. Health experts associate these variants of concern (VOCs) with increased risk of hospitalization, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, [...]
Pathogen-Sensing Mask Could Detect COVID Infection
Freeze-dried genetic circuits could reveal the presence of SARS-CoV-2, Ebola, MRSA, and more. Masks and testing have been key to the COVID-19 pandemic response—and now devices that combine the two may be on the [...]
Neuroscientists Built an Ultra Detailed Map of the Brain Motor Cortex
Hundreds of neuroscientists built a ‘parts list’ of the motor cortex, laying groundwork to map the whole brain and better understand brain diseases. Before you read any further, bring your hand to your forehead. [...]
Can butterfly wings help detect COVID-19 faster?
An international team, led by Swinburne University of Technology and Australian National University (ANU), have made a breakthrough discovery that could potentially lead to faster, more accurate molecular or virus tests, including for COVID-19. [...]
COVID-19 virus evolving to ‘get better’ at moving through air
New mutations of COVID-19, such as the Delta strain, are "getting better" at transmitting through the air, a study has found. People infected with a later variant of COVID-19 put 43 to 100 times more virus into [...]
Merck pill seen as ‘huge advance,’ raises hope of preventing COVID-19 deaths
Merck will seek U.S. approval for pill as soon as possible If approved, would be 1st oral antiviral COVID-19 drug Merck shares rally, some vaccine makers fall U.S. government to buy 1.7 mln courses [...]
New coating technology uses ‘nanoworms’ to kill COVID-19
An antiviral surface coating technology sprayed on face masks could provide an extra layer of protection against COVID-19 and the flu. The coating developed at The University of Queensland has already proven effective in killing [...]
An innovative way to deliver drugs using nanocrystals shows potential benefits
Key Points Monash researchers have developed a method to prepare elongated nanocrystals to deliver therapeutic drugs Elongated nanocrystals can carry a high payload of drugs to potentially increase drug targetability and also decrease dosage [...]
