Coronavirus: UK to test inhaled vaccines

UK researchers are to begin trials of inhaled coronavirus vaccines.

Delivering doses directly to the lungs might give a better immune response than conventional jabs, they say.

The Imperial College London team will use two frontrunners already in development – the Oxford one recently paused in trials and one from Imperial that entered human testing in June.

There are nearly 180 candidates being explored globally – but none has yet reached the end goal.

About 30 healthy volunteers will be given the vaccines as a mist or aerosol – in the same way asthma drugs are delivered with a nebuliser machine and a mask or mouthpiece.

The seasonal flu jab can also be given as a nasal spray rather than an injection.

Lead researcher Dr Chris Chiu said: “The current pandemic is caused by a respiratory virus which primarily infects people through the cells lining the nose, throat and lungs.

“These surfaces are specialised and produce a different immune response to the rest of the body.

“So it is critical we explore whether targeting the airways directly can provide an effective response compared to a vaccine injected into muscle.” BBC