Nasal vaccines may be the next weapon in the fight against COVID-19 in Australia

The mission of Australian researchers to develop a COVID-19 nasal spray to block virus infection has received a boost with government funding.

Ερευνητές του Centenary Institute και του Πανεπιστημίου του Σύδνεϋ έλαβαν επιχορήγηση ύψους σχεδόν 1 εκατομμυρίου δολαρίων για τις συγκεκριμένες έρευνες Source: SBS

KEY POINTS

• Australian researchers have received a funding boost to develop a COVID-19 nasal spray vaccine
• The $1 million in funding will allow scientists to develop a vaccine that could be tested in human trials in 2024
• There are a number of challenges to overcome in developing an effective COVID-19 nasal spray vaccine

A grant of nearly $1 million from the NSW COVID-19 Vaccine Acceleration Research Grants Program was awarded to Sydney researchers based out of the Centenary Institute and the University of Sydney.

Developing a nasal spray vaccine to provide protection for the respiratory system is new territory for researchers. It builds upon work done to treat the flu and tuberculosis.

The project's chief investigator, Professor Britton, said the work represents a new direction in COVID-19 vaccine development - shifting away from the task of limiting the most severe disease impacts to stopping infection in the first place.

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