Khaldon Azhari

TOKYO: Nagasaki University Hospital and the Institute of Tropical Medicine (Netsuken) are developing a vaccine that is inhaled into the lungs to create immunity against the coronavirus, a newspaper in Nagasaki reports. Studies conducted so far have confirmed that antibodies can be produced in animal experiments, and the possibility of clinical trials will be examined, it said.
 
The virus infects cells in the respiratory tract and lungs, and replicates and proliferates itself via the protein “messenger RNA (mRNA)” that has the genetic information of the virus. The vaccines that are being developed analyze viral antigen proteins to artificially create mRNA. Protection is achieved by placing this in a small particle so that it reaches the cells of the lungs when inhaled. This results in immunity.
 
In the study, it was confirmed that mRNA of the model antigen administered to mice via the lungs can provide effective immunization. The plan is to develop an animal-level vaccine within the year, raise funds if it is effective, and enter safety and clinical trials in the next year or two.
 
Professor Hitoshi Sasaki, the principal investigator, told the paper, “Inhaled vaccines can be taken even in developing countries and people who have difficulty accessing medical care. They are effective, safe, economical, and convenient, and can be used for new viral diseases that will occur in the future.”
 
In addition to the inhalation vaccine, the Institute of Thermal Science researched an mRNA vaccine with a unique design and confirmed its effectiveness in animal experiments and will examine the possibility of clinical trials in the new year.
 
Koichi Morita said, “There is room for more than just one vaccine. If we can make a more effective vaccine, we can supply it as a second-generation vaccine.”
 
In addition, the university has a “viral vector vaccine” that uses adenovirus to carry genetic information of the new corona, and a “recombinant protein vaccine” that uses gene recombination technology to produce viral antigen proteins.
 
Morita pointed out that the infections such as the Zika virus, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), new influenza and Ebola have spread in the last 10 years. “Infectious diseases that shake the world have appeared once every few years. Rapid vaccine development is an urgent issue,” he said.