Interest in administering vaccines mucosally, rather than by intramuscular injections, has been growing since the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic was declared in 2020.
Working in collaboration, scientists from the Pandemic Sciences Institute and The Pirbright Institute used pigs as a model to explore immune system responses to mucosally-administered flu vaccines, which target viruses at the point of entry.
Comprehensive measurement of immune responses in human lungs is not possible. To overcome this challenge, the researchers used pigs - whose respiratory tract is anatomically and functionally similar to that of humans - as a model to define key immune responses.
Samples collected from both the lungs and blood of vaccinated pigs, aided by mathematical modelling, showed that lung responses can be predicted from blood tests, making it easier to assess vaccine effectiveness in humans.
Principal investigator Professor Dame Sarah Gilbert, Saïd Professor of Vaccinology at the Pandemic Sciences Institute, said: ‘The research found that immune responses in the blood could reliably reflect those in the lungs, thus offering a practical way to assess the effectiveness of vaccines targeting the respiratory system. The findings provide critical insights into how immune responses can be measured from easily accessible blood samples and are a foundation for future testing of mucosally administered vaccines in clinical trials.’
Read the full story on the Nuffield Department of Medicine website.