Scientists develop effective intranasal mumps-based COVID-19 vaccine candidate

New research by the Ohio State University, US, has advanced COVID-19 vaccine work in several ways: using a modified live attenuated mumps virus for delivery, showing that a more stable coronavirus spike protein stimulates a stronger immune response, and suggesting a dose up the nose has an advantage over a shot. Based on these combined findings in rodent experiments, the scientists one day incorporating a coronavirus antigen into the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine to produce COVID-19 immunity in children. The research was recently published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Scientists. “We were pushing to make a vaccine for infants and children with the idea that if we could incorporate the mumps COVID vaccine into the MMR vaccine, you would have protection against four pathogens – measles, mumps, rubella and SARS-CoV-2 – in a single immunisation programme,” said Professor Jianrong Li, senior author of the study. To create the antigen that stimulates...