Sri Lanka-born immunologist Prof. Bali Pulendran is leading groundbreaking research at Stanford Medicine into what scientists describe as the closest step yet toward a universal respiratory vaccine.
Pulendran, a professor of microbiology and immunology at Stanford University, is the senior author of a new study that developed an intranasal vaccine shown to protect mice against a broad range of respiratory viruses, bacteria and even allergens.
The findings, published in the journal Science, demonstrated that vaccinated mice were protected against SARS-CoV-2 and other coronaviruses, the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus and Acinetobacter baumannii, as well as house dust mite allergens.
Unlike conventional vaccines that target specific viral components, the new approach stimulates immune signaling pathways in the lungs, integrating innate and adaptive immune responses to generate broad protection lasting several months in animal models.
Pulendran said the strategy departs from more than two centuries of vaccine development based on antigen specificity and instead focuses on mimicking immune communication signals that sustain protective responses.
Researchers say that if successfully translated to humans, such a nasal spray vaccine could potentially reduce the need for multiple seasonal shots and provide protection against future pandemic threats.
The team plans to pursue Phase I safety trials in humans. In a best-case scenario, Pulendran has estimated that a broadly protective respiratory vaccine could become available within five to seven years, pending funding and successful trials.
The research was conducted in collaboration with scientists from Emory University School of Medicine, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Utah State University and the University of Arizona, and was funded in part by the U.S. National Institutes of Health. (Newswire)