Annual flu vaccines are in a constant race against a rapidly mutating virus that may one day cause the next pandemic. A one-time vaccine protecting against all variants could give humanity a leg up.
Nasal vaccines for COVID-19 are still in early development.
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An effective nasal vaccine could stop the virus that causes COVID-19 right at its point of entry. But devising one that works has been a challenge for researchers.
Imaging the proteins on the surface of HCV has been challenging because of the virus’s shape-shifting nature.
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Using a Nobel Prize-winning technique called cryo-EM, researchers were able to identify potential areas on the hepatitis C virus that a vaccine could target.
Funding research is essential to meet future health challenges.
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Canadian scientists have made significant contributions during the pandemic response, including vital roles in developing COVID-19 vaccines. But underfunding puts the future of science in Canada at risk.
New boosters protect against the original COVID strain as well as Omicron. In future, we might see variant-proof vaccines or those delivered in the nose or mouth.
Inhaled vaccine delivery could take on not only COVID-19, but also other respiratory infections, including tuberculosis.
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An inhaled COVID-19 vaccine would go directly to where the body would use it: the mucosal surface of the airways. This could mean less waste and more benefit, lower costs and reduced side-effects.
You need a new shot every year because current flu vaccines provide limited and temporary protection. But researchers’ new strategy could mean a one-and-done influenza vaccine is on the way.
The coronavirus vaccine was developed faster than any vaccine in history. It took just 332 days from the first sequencing of the virus genome to the first vaccines given to the public.
The pharmaceutical industry opposes the suspension of intellectual property rights on COVID-19 vaccines and treatments, and no pharma companies have yet contributed to the COVID-19 Technology Access Pool.
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We should applaud drug companies for developing COVID-19 vaccines in record time, but let’s not be under any illusion about the profits that are motivating them.
Mink can be readily infected with SARS-CoV-2 and then pass the virus to humans.
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In the disturbing scenario of human-to-mink-to-human COVID-19 transmission, the virus may mutate in mink prior to re-infecting people. That possibility makes vaccine design even more crucial.