Intranasal flu vaccine with nanoparticles offers robust protection

The intranasal vaccine contributed to multifaceted immune responses, leading to robust cross-protection against influenza in mice. The vaccine consists of PEI-HA/CpG nanoparticles. PEI (polyethyleneimine), a robust and versatile delivery system, can simultaneously transport antigens (haemagglutinin, HA) that induce an immune response in the body and adjuvants (CpG) that enhance the body’s immune response to an antigen for a optimal immuno-enhancement.

These full immune responses and cross-protection lasted a long time, exhibiting defense against the influenza virus more than six months after vaccination. The results are published in the journal Applied materials and ACS interfaces.

Intranasal vaccination is an ideal approach for infectious respiratory diseases such as influenza. Seasonal influenza vaccines typically induce narrow immune responses that decline rapidly, making populations vulnerable to new influenza strains. Advances in influenza vaccine technology are needed to protect against a wide range of influenza viruses. Intranasal vaccination can enhance local mucosal immune responses by preventing influenza infection at the portal of entry of the virus.

In the influenza virus, HA is a protein that plays a crucial role in the early stages of viral infection. Influenza HA has a head region and a stem region. Current influenza vaccines elicit immune responses against the HA head, but this region of the head is highly variable and represents reduced efficacy against different strains. The HA stem region is more conservative among different influenza virus strains.

Intranasally administered protein antigens are generally less able to elicit an immune response, so adjuvants are required for highly effective intranasal vaccines. Adjuvants, such as CpG, can enhance and manipulate immune responses, improving the potency and extent of protection.

“PEI-HA/CpG nanoparticles show good potential as a cross-protective influenza vaccine candidate,” said Dr. Baozhong Wang, corresponding author of the study and professor at the Institute of Biomedical Sciences of the State of Georgia. “The combination of PEI and CpG in the PEI-HA/CpG group of nanoparticles contributed to the multifaceted immune responses, leading to vigorous cross-protection. The incorporation of CpG and antigens in the same nanoparticle enhanced the immune responses cellular.

“Our results revealed that the nanoparticles significantly enhanced the immunogenicity of HA, or the ability to elicit an immune response, providing cross-protection against different strains of influenza virus. The conserved HA stalk region induced antibodies substantial in nanoparticle immunization groups.”

“Nanoparticle platforms have shown intriguing features and great potential in the development of next-generation cross-protective influenza vaccines,” said Dr. Chunhong Dong, first author of the study and postdoctoral fellow at the Institute of Science. biomedical. “However, challenges exist for the successful research and development of nanoparticle-based vaccines. Although no apparent adverse effects were observed in the study, a more comprehensive evaluation of the safety of the adjuvant-based system of nanoparticles is needed before clinical trials.”

Co-authors of the study include Baozhong Wang, Chunhong Dong (first author), Ye Wang, Wandi Zhu, Yao Ma, Joo Kim, Lai Wei, and Gilbert X. Gonzalez.

The study was funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) of the National Institutes of Health.

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