The research is still ongoing and the drug has so far been tested on animals
The results of a preclinical study conducted in mouse animal models indicate the prophylactic potential of a new vaccine platform developed by ISS researchers against Sars-CoV-2. The study, just published in the journal Viruses and conducted by the researchers of the National Center for Global Health of the National Institute of Health demonstrated that this novel innovative approach generates an effective and long-lasting immune response in mice infected with Sars-CoV-2.
The method is based on a new strategy that he selected as target protein N, a protein that, unlike the more well-known spike involved in the development of current vaccines, shows almost no mutation among the Sars-CoV-2 variants known so far. The method by which the N protein is used in this study also generates a lung immune memory which could be a guarantee of a long-lasting protective effect.
The new mechanism is based on the engineering of nanovesicles naturally released by muscle cells and could overcome the limitations of current vaccines on antibody decay and loss of efficacy against emerging variants. The ISS team of researchers has shown that when the extracellular vesicles are loaded with the N protein of the Sars-CoV-2 nucleocapsid, an immune reaction can be generated in mice such as to induce substantial protection from infection with very high viral loads.
Furthermore, in the animal model studied, the technique developed in Iss is able to generate an immune memory in the respiratory tract, essential condition for a lasting effect of any vaccination strategy against respiratory pathogens. ” All cells constantly release tiny lipid-based vesicles called extracellular vesicles – explains Maurizio Federico, head of the Center and senior author of the study – and the technique developed in Iss is able to load these natural nanovesicles with Sars-CoV proteins -2. These engineered nanovesicles are processed by the immune system in order to generate strong cellular immunity orchestrated by a lymphocyte family identified as CD8 lymphocytes ”.
Additional studies planned will establish parameters such as the safety of the vaccine platform and its tolerability. These parameters will be essential to lay the foundations for future clinical studies aimed at definitively confirming the efficacy of this discovery. It will also be necessary to understand whether any vaccines developed with the new platform should be integrated with forms of immunization based on the technologies currently in use, for example based on mRNA.
The study, funded through intramural financing from the ISS, demonstrates the commitment of the Institute and its researchers in the search for strategies that can lead to more effective Sars-CoV-2 vaccines.
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