Lancaster University and biomedical firm ViraCorp are developing a nasal COVID-19 vaccine that could increase vaccine equity worldwide.
Lancaster molecular virologist and chief scientific officer at ViraCorp, Dr Muhammad Munir, said the needless vaccine will be a cost-effective and easily administered alternative to solutions currently on the market.
It is hoped the novel delivery system will also have a positive impact on vaccine hesitancy currently hindering global immunity and remove the heavy training and infrastructure requirements for delivering vaccines via intramuscular injections.
This comes after the World Health Organisation (WHO) has launched a campaign to increase vaccine equity worldwide. WHO said, while COVID-19 vaccines are being rapidly developed, they are largely only being distributed in high and upper-middle-income countries.
This is preventing global immunity and helping new variants such as the current Omicron strain take hold.
A spokesperson for the World Health Organisations said there are eight intranasally administered vaccines in development which could be tailored to those for whom an injection might not be suitable.
“Vaccines are a critical tool in the battle against COVID-19.
“All vaccines that have WHO EUL are safe and remain highly effective in preventing severe disease and death from COVID-19. Vaccinating all people, especially those at highest risk of disease, continues to be the top priority.
“It is essential to continue the research and development (R&D) of vaccines, to improve on the products we already have and develop new ones.
“Nasal spray or inhaled vaccine candidates offer a different mode of delivery, which could be tailored to different needs such as those for whom an injection might not be suitable.
“According to the COVID-19 vaccine tracker, there are eight intranasally administered vaccines in development. WHO is looking forward to the results of rigorous, well-designed, well-conducted clinical trials for those vaccine candidates.”
Dr Munir said the company will announce a number of world-leading scientific partner organisations to take the vaccine through trials to production and distribution and intends to target territories where vaccine distribution has been low, supporting WHO’s campaign on vaccine equity.
The company will develop the vaccine under its subsidiary ViraVac.
Dr Munir said: “With the emergence of new variants and increasing challenges to equitably vaccinating the world, there is a need to develop novel and improved COVID-19 vaccines.
“Our next-generation dual-antigen carry vaccine offers solutions to several weaknesses of currently applied vaccines.
“I am delighted this partnership between ViraCorp and Lancaster University will bring this novel vaccine to market, which I believe will have significant impact in some of the world’s hardest-to-reach communities.
“ViraCorp has put together a team of global partners who will bring world-leading expertise to help bring this vaccine to market.
“Once we have the relevant permissions, we will look to bring the vaccine to parts of the world which currently have low vaccination rates and will benefit from the stability and low cost of this vaccine and a nasal delivery system.”
Senior research associate Dr Mohammed Rohaim said: “ViraCorp and Lancaster University are already working together on testing a new antiviral and antimicrobial mask that begins killing COVID-19 on contact and is being produced by sister company ViraCoat.
“The intranasal vaccine has been extensively validated in pre-clinical studies and has a safety profile of several decades.”
ViraCorp through its subsidiaries are a group of biomedical research and development companies, on a mission to improve the health outcomes for as many of the world’s population as possible.
Specifically focusing on protecting and preventing the disastrous humanitarian and economic impacts of viral outbreaks, pandemics, and endemics, ViraCorp is taking an innovative, disruptive approach to developing viral defence products that the world needs now.
