Researchers at the University of Nuremberg (FAU) have found a Covid-19 vaccine that incorporates bacteria from volcanic areas. These micro-organisms ensure that this vaccination does not have to be injected, but can be swallowed. This is reported by the FAU in a press release.
Tetraetherlipiden
The bacteria, which have a membrane called tetraether lipids (TEL), come from inhospitable volcanic regions. This makes them resistant to high temperatures and strong acids. This last property is particularly important, because such a vaccine has to pass through the stomach.
Dagmar Fischer, leader of the TEL-DrugDelivery project, explains that the stomach is one of the most extreme places in the body of humans and animals. “Not only is the stomach very acidic, it is also teeming with the enzymes that break down our food. So only the ingredients remain. This is a process that a vaccine pill must be able to withstand,” says Fischer.
Start-up Doser print the perfect arrow
Suppose you are ill and need medication. But these drugs don’t seem to exist in the dose you need.
Benefits of oral vaccination
There are many benefits to oral vaccination. One of the biggest advantages is storage at normal temperature. This is primarily a logistical advantage, because a lot fewer freezers are needed and because transport to warm and remote areas is easier. It also offers many advantages for the environment, because freezers and refrigerated transport are very burdensome.
In addition, an oral vaccination offers many benefits against people with needlestick fear. This would make more people willing to take the vaccine. Finally, less time-consuming injections are required. These injections not only take time to implement, but also indirectly a lot of time is lost due to the training of personnel.
The team that developed the drug platform hopes to be able to administer other vaccines using this method by the end of the project. Fischer says: “It is hoped that mRNA vaccines have a great future. If our platform works for mRNA-covid-19 vaccination, it might also work for other applications.”
