WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The National Institutes of Health has launched the phase 1 of the first-in-human trial to test the safety of an experimental nasal Covid vaccine.
The vaccine, called MPV/S-2P, was designed and tested by scientists of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Laboratory of Infectious Diseases. It uses murine pneumonia virus as a vector to deliver a version of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein.
'The rapid development of safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines was a triumph of science, and their use greatly mitigated the toll of the pandemic,' said NIAID Director Jeanne M. Marrazzo.
'While first-generation COVID-19 vaccines continue to be effective at preventing severe illness, hospitalizations, and death, they are less successful at preventing infection and milder forms of disease. With the continual emergence of new virus variants, there is a critical need to develop next-generation COVID-19 vaccines, including nasal vaccines, that could reduce SARS-CoV-2 infections and transmission.'
During the pre-clinical non-human primate studies, the investigational vaccine was found to be safe and well-tolerated, prompting a robust systemic immune response as well as mucosal immunity.
For the phase 1 study, researchers will enroll 60 participants aged 18 to 64 at three trial sites - Baylor College of Medicine, Houston; The Hope Clinic of Emory University, Decatur, Georgia; and New York University, Long Island. The participants must have received at least three prior doses of an FDA-approved or -authorized mRNA COVID-19 vaccine.
Researchers will then divide the selected participants into three groups to receive one dose of the experimental nasal vaccine in varying dosages. They will conduct seven follow-up visits over one year to evaluate tolerability.
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