NOSEVAC Consortium: Developing Innovative Nasal Vaccines to Combat Respiratory Infections

European consortium aims to combat respiratory infections with nasal vaccines

Bacterial and viral respiratory infections have serious implications for public health, contributing significantly to global morbidity and mortality. To combat this problem, the European consortium NOSEVAC has been created by the European Vaccine Initiative (EVI), in which the CiMUS of the USC actively participates through the groups led by Noémi Csaba and María José Alonso.

Targeting aggressive bacterial infections and COVID-19

Over the next five years, the NOSEVAC consortium aims to develop combination nasal vaccines that target the most aggressive bacterial respiratory infections, as well as develop two bivalent nasal vaccines to prevent COVID-19. “Until now, available vaccines against these diseases are administered by intramuscular or subcutaneous injection and do not effectively prevent colonization of the upper respiratory tract”, explains Noemi Csaba, a researcher at CiMUS of the USC. Consequently, its impact on pathogen transmission is limited.

Preventing disease at the earliest stage of infection

The NOSEVAC consortium aims to prevent the earliest stage of infection by inhibiting respiratory tract colonization, transmission, and disease using nasal vaccine platforms. The project brings together a collaborative team made up of 12 partners that include research groups from public and private entities, as well as biotechnology companies from the European Union, the United Kingdom, and Switzerland.

Focusing on vaccine candidates

The project contemplates the development of the following candidates for new nasal vaccines:

• Develop vaccine formulations for nasal administration of RNA and protein-based antigens
• Discover bacterial antigens that favor the colonization of the respiratory epithelium
• Identify immune factors of the human host to generate long-term protection against bacteria or viruses
• Address the acceptability of nasal vaccination in the general population

Impact on political decisions

NOSEVAC has funding of just over 11 million euros, with almost seven of them coming from the EU. The organization aims to establish strategic research pathways to combat respiratory pathogens, including those with the potential for large outbreaks. Furthermore, the USC CiMUS researcher concludes that the organization will act as a catalyst for decision-making based on scientific evidence, both for addressing political measures and for investment groups that can finance the costs of these new therapeutic strategies.