Scientists Develop Inhalable Vaccine to Fight Pneumonia

Oct, 2021 - By SMI

A newly developed, inhalable vaccine tested in mice, provokes a robust immune response against many bacterial strains.

A study by a research team at Tulane University, Louisiana, demonstrated that a newly developed intranasal vaccine protected mice against different strains of pneumonia-causing bacteria. The vaccine was developed for the purpose of combating Klebsiella pneumoniae, a bacteria that causes pneumonia and is found mostly in healthcare facilities like hospitals. The inhalable vaccine developed by the team directly reaches lungs where such bacteria often settle.

Currently, there are no FDA-approved vaccines available for the treatment of infection caused by this bacteria. The World Health Organization declared these antibiotic-resistant strain of Klebsiella pneumoniae as a critical priority to develop new treatments, since there are more than 7,900 cases detected and around 520 deaths are reported in the U.S. every year. In order t

To develop the vaccine against this bacteria, the team used a specific protein from the K. pneumoniae then combined it with LTA1, an adjuvant developed from E. coli bacteria to provoke an immune response. When the team tested this intranasal vaccine in mice, it produce a strong immune response and protected them against the strains of various K. pneumoniae bacteria. According to the team, the vaccine works by a mechanism where it does not attack sugars on the surface of the bacteria, therefore it is possible to use it to fight various bacteria.

The team suggests that to fight infections where lungs are affected, using intranasal vaccine would be effective as it reaches the site of infection directly, unlike intravenous vaccines. For the same reason, inhalable medications are becoming more targeted topic of research. There are studies that have explored intranasal medication treatments for various diseases including lung cancer, COVID-19 and more. However, these medications still need more work to bring them in medical practice.