Researchers at the University of California-Riverside achieved a breakthrough in vaccine development by successfully creating a new RNA-based vaccine, capable of effectively fighting any virus strain.
"What I want to emphasize about this vaccine strategy is that it is broad," said Rong Hai, UCR virologist and study author. "It is broadly applicable to any number of viruses, broadly effective against any variant of a virus, and safe for a broad spectrum of people. This could be the universal vaccine that we have been looking for."
Usually, a vaccine is made from a dead or modified live virus. When it enters the body of a person, the immune system instantly recognizes a protein in the virus and develops an immune response, producing T-cells to attack the virus, and creating memory B-cells to prepare the system for similar attacks in the future.
Meanwhile, the newly developed vaccine, made from a live modified virus, depends on RNA molecules to fight the virus.
"A host — a person, a mouse, anyone infected— will produce small interfering RNAs as an immune response to viral infection. These RNAi then knock down the virus," explained Shouwei Ding, professor of microbiology at UCR, and lead paper author.
The study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that viruses block the host's RNAi response to spread disease.
"If we make a mutant virus that cannot produce the protein to suppress our RNAi, we can weaken the virus. It can replicate to some level, but then loses the battle to the host RNAi response," Ding continued. "A virus weakened in this way can be used as a vaccine for boosting our RNAi immune system."
During the trial, researchers tested the vaccine with a virus called Nodamura on mutant mice, without T and B cells. They later noticed that the rodents enjoyed protection from the disease for a minimum period of 90 days.
"That's why our next step is to use this same concept to generate a flu vaccine, so infants can be protected. If we are successful, they'll no longer have to depend on their mothers' antibodies," Ding said.
The researchers are working on developing the new vaccine in a spray form to easily deliver it to the nose, as it is the doorway of respiratory infections to the body.
"There are several well-known human pathogens; dengue, SARS, COVID. They all have similar viral functions," Ding concluded. "This should apply to these viruses in an easy transfer of knowledge."
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