In the realm of medical advancements, a universal vaccine that can protect against any pathogen has long been a Holy Grail—and about as elusive as a mythological vessel. But Stanford Medicine researchers and collaborators have taken an astonishing step forward in that quest, surprising even themselves.
Link above is only to the abstract, with an additional link to figures and tables:
Abstract Traditional vaccines target specific pathogens, limiting their scope against diverse respiratory threats. We describe an intranasal liposomal formulation combining toll-like receptor (TLR) 4 and 7/8 ligands with a model antigen, ovalbumin, that provided broad, durable protection in mice for at least 3 months against infection with SARS-CoV-2 and Staphylococcus aureus. In addition, the vaccine protected mice from other viruses (SARS-CoV-2, SARS, SCH014 coronavirus), bacteria (Acinetobacter baumannii), and allergens. Protection was mediated by persistent ovalbumin-specific CD4+ and CD8+ memory T cells that imprinted alveolar macrophages (AMs), enhancing antigen presentation and antiviral immunity. Following infection, vaccinated mice mounted rapid pathogen-specific T cell and antibody responses and formed ectopic lymphoid structures in the lung. These results reveal a class of “universal vaccines” against diverse respiratory 🩹
The cool thing about this is the stimulation of CD4 & CD8+ memory cells imprinting alveolar (the alveoli of the lungs) macrophages, a type of Tissue Resident Macrophage (TRMs) that will then hang out in that location, where the invaders first appeared, waiting for them to return. Whereupon they will alert the immune system that “those guys” are back, you know what to do. I heard the process explained this way:
TRMs are like that cowboy seemingly snoozing away, at the Old Saloon. Then when “those infectious guys” that had infected one before, and markers for them are imprinted on the TRMs show up, suddenly the guy snoozing away ‘wakes up’, saying “I remember YOU!” and alerts The Posse (Immune System) that it’s time to take action. The version I heard on TWIV was a bit cuter, but I edited this for clarity.
https://sci-net.xyz/10.1126/science.aea1260
Full article above
But how does this make dust mite allergy better and not worse?
Yeah, an overly heightened immune system is how you get allergies and auto-immune diseases.
I’m working on getting (ok, it’s just arrived, and I need to head off to class) and digesting the paper. I suspect that this is because of the more effective application/regulation of macrophages, CD4+ and CD8+ cells, such that they aren’t over responsive. To keep with the metaphor above, the TRMs are in a dormant state, waiting to be activated, but in this case the activation is much more specific, so it’s not going ‘off the rails’ for every Hombre with a Black Hat, but rather every Hombre with a Black Hat, leather hat band, and a white feather, sort of. I’ve not read beyond the Abstract.
So each season it would be tuned to “what was in fashion” for the expected coming cold/flu season?
That sounds awesome.
Spray up the nose for a chance to miss the worst bug of he season? I would take those odds. (And yes, I’m aware of and partake of the bargain that is existing annual flu shot, haha.)
The same way allergen injections can reduce an allergic response. It’s one type of antibody and focusing a response will remove the antibody from circulation and allergy elsewhere.
But this is just mice, any claims on human allergy is bullshit. Regardless, either this research is dead because the NIH is gone, or this has moved to a biotech, so this is hype for VC investment.