<p>Inhaled versions of Covid-19 vaccine candidates developed by Oxford University and Imperial College will be trialled to see if they deliver a localised immune response in the respiratory tract, British researchers said on Monday.</p>.<p>The Oxford and Imperial vaccines are both being tested in trials through intramuscular injection, but scientists from Imperial said that vaccines delivered via inhalation could potentially deliver a more specialised response.</p>.<p>Chris Chiu, of Imperial's Department of Infectious Disease, said there was evidence that flu vaccines delivered by nasal spray could protect against and reduce transmission of the disease.</p>.<p>"We are keen to explore if this may also be the case for SARS-CoV-2 and whether delivering Covid-19 vaccines to the respiratory tract is safe and produces an effective immune response," he said in a statement.</p>.<p>Trials of the Oxford vaccine, which has been licensed to AstraZeneca, resumed at the weekend after safety watchdogs gave it the go-ahead. Late-stage trials had been paused after study subject fell in Britain.</p>.<p>"We have already shown that (Oxford vaccine) ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (AZD1222) is safe and induces strong immune responses after intramuscular injection," said Sarah Gilbert of the University of Oxford.</p>.<p>"Delivering the vaccine to the respiratory tract instead may be a good approach to inducing immune responses in the best place to enable a rapid response after exposure to airborne virus."</p>.<p>Imperial's vaccine is also in clinical trials, although at an earlier stage.</p>.<p>The new trials of the vaccines will see volunteers receive aerosolised vaccines through a nebulizer, delivering the vaccine as airborne droplets through a mouthpiece. A total of 30 people will be recruited to the trials.</p>.<p>Previous studies suggest that lower doses might be required than in intramuscular injections to give protection, the Imperial researchers said.</p>
<p>Inhaled versions of Covid-19 vaccine candidates developed by Oxford University and Imperial College will be trialled to see if they deliver a localised immune response in the respiratory tract, British researchers said on Monday.</p>.<p>The Oxford and Imperial vaccines are both being tested in trials through intramuscular injection, but scientists from Imperial said that vaccines delivered via inhalation could potentially deliver a more specialised response.</p>.<p>Chris Chiu, of Imperial's Department of Infectious Disease, said there was evidence that flu vaccines delivered by nasal spray could protect against and reduce transmission of the disease.</p>.<p>"We are keen to explore if this may also be the case for SARS-CoV-2 and whether delivering Covid-19 vaccines to the respiratory tract is safe and produces an effective immune response," he said in a statement.</p>.<p>Trials of the Oxford vaccine, which has been licensed to AstraZeneca, resumed at the weekend after safety watchdogs gave it the go-ahead. Late-stage trials had been paused after study subject fell in Britain.</p>.<p>"We have already shown that (Oxford vaccine) ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (AZD1222) is safe and induces strong immune responses after intramuscular injection," said Sarah Gilbert of the University of Oxford.</p>.<p>"Delivering the vaccine to the respiratory tract instead may be a good approach to inducing immune responses in the best place to enable a rapid response after exposure to airborne virus."</p>.<p>Imperial's vaccine is also in clinical trials, although at an earlier stage.</p>.<p>The new trials of the vaccines will see volunteers receive aerosolised vaccines through a nebulizer, delivering the vaccine as airborne droplets through a mouthpiece. A total of 30 people will be recruited to the trials.</p>.<p>Previous studies suggest that lower doses might be required than in intramuscular injections to give protection, the Imperial researchers said.</p>