This image shows a collection of vaccinating nanoparticles, which at their largest are about 1,000 times smaller than a human hair. The inset graphic is a representation of how the engineered proteins decorate a nanoparticle’s surface.
Immunizations could be administered within minutes where and when a disease is breaking out.
Vaccines combat diseases and protect populations from outbreaks, but the life-saving technology leaves room for improvement. Vaccines usually are made en masse in centralized locations far removed from where they will be used. They are expensive to ship and keep refrigerated and they tend to have short shelf lives.
University of Washington engineers hope a new type of vaccine they have shown to work in mice will one day make it cheaper and easy to manufacture on-demand vaccines for humans. Immunizations could be administered within minutes where and when a disease is breaking out.
“We’re really excited about this technology because it makes it possible to produce a vaccine on the spot. For instance, a field doctor could see the beginnings of an epidemic, make vaccine doses right away, and blanket vaccinate the entire population in the affected area to prevent the spread of an epidemic,” said François Baneyx, a UW professor of chemical engineering and lead author of a recent paper published online in the journal Nanomedicine.
The research was funded by a Grand Challenges Explorations grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the National Institutes of Health.
In typical vaccines, weakened pathogens or proteins found on the surface of microbes and viruses are injected into the body along with compounds called adjuvants to prepare a person’s immune system to fight a particular disease. But standard formulations don’t always work, and the field is seeking ways to manufacture vaccines quicker, cheaper and tailored to specific infectious agents, Baneyx said.
The UW team injected mice with nanoparticles synthesized using an engineered protein that both mimics the effect of an infection and binds to calcium phosphate, the inorganic compound found in teeth and bones. After eight months, mice that contracted the disease made threefold the number of protective “killer” T-cells – a sign of a long-lasting immune response – compared with mice that had received the protein but no calcium phosphate nanoparticles.
The nanoparticles appear to work by ferrying the protein to the lymph nodes where they have a higher chance of meeting dendritic cells, a type of immune cell that is scarce in the skin and muscles, but plays a key role in activating strong immune responses.
In a real-life scenario, genetically engineered proteins based on those displayed at the surface of pathogens would be freeze-dried or dehydrated and mixed with water, calcium and phosphate to make the nanoparticles. This should work with many different diseases and be especially useful for viral infections that are hard to vaccinate against, Baneyx said.
He cautioned, however, that it has only been proven in mice, and the development of vaccines using this method hasn’t begun for humans.
The Latest on: On-demand vaccines
via Google News
The Latest on: On-demand vaccines
- U.S. COVID vaccine rollout for young children will pick up paceon June 21, 2022 at 9:31 am
(Reuters) - The rollout in the United States this week of COVID vaccines for children as young as six months is likely to start slowly, and then pick up in the coming days, according to White House ...
- COVID-19 vaccine appointments for children under 5 available in Teton County, Wyo.on June 21, 2022 at 9:02 am
On June 17, the FDA authorized emergency use of the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines for children as young as six months ...
- COVID-19 vaccine drive for youngest kids kicks off in earneston June 21, 2022 at 5:33 am
Kids aged 6 months to 5 years old will begin to receive COVID-19 shots in earnest on Tuesday, but the campaign will be centered on pediatrician offices and select pharmacies, giving the rollout a ...
- Outlook on the Vaccine Adjuvants Global Market to 2035 - Industry Trends and Forecastson June 21, 2022 at 3:28 am
The "The Vaccine Adjuvants Market by Type of Vaccine Adjuvant, Route of Administration, Target Therapeutic Area and Key Geographies: Industry Trends and Global Forecasts, 2022-2035" report has been ...
- Norton to begin issuing COVID-19 vaccine to kids under 5 by end of the weekon June 21, 2022 at 1:47 am
Norton Healthcare says it should receive a shipment of vaccine does Wednesday or Thursday with plans to potentially giving shots on Friday.
- COVID-19 vaccines are approved for kids under 5. What do parents need to know?on June 20, 2022 at 8:36 pm
Last week the FDA & CDC gave the green light to these doses. They're anticipated to roll out in our region sometime this week.
- Young children eligible for COVID vaccineon June 20, 2022 at 1:30 pm
Vermont’s youngest children — those between the ages of 6 months to 5 years — could begin receiving vaccinations to protect against COVID-19 later this week.
- Vaccines Market 2022 Size, Share Industry Analysis by Future Demand, Top Players, Opportunities, Revenue and Growth Rate Through 2029on June 19, 2022 at 11:50 pm
Global "Vaccines Market" research report offers inside and out examination on market size, share, drivers, limitations, etc. besides, this report remembers the inexact investigation of various ...
- CDC Panel Meets Today, Saturday on COVID Vaccines for Children Under 5on June 17, 2022 at 8:28 am
"We're going to make sure that supply is always meeting demand. And we're going to do everything we can to make it easy for providers and parents alike to get their kids vaccinated." How old do you ...
- FDA signs off on COVID vaccines for kids age 5 and youngeron June 17, 2022 at 6:13 am
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Friday gave the green light to COVID-19 vaccines for children ages 5 and younger, a key step toward making the shots available for the youngest children. The ...
via Bing News