Nasal Flu Vaccines Provide 'Double' Immunity

Carrington Laboratories, Inc.'s DelSite Biotechnologies subsidiary, an innovator in nasal vaccine delivery technology, said flu vaccines delivered nasally have been shown to provide immunity both locally in the nasal passages and also systemically as the vaccine penetrates the nasal mucosa.

"This feature of double immunity, and the speed with which the nasal passages become protected, can be very beneficial in immunizing children with immature immune systems and older people with weakened immune systems," notes Dr. Yawei Ni, senior scientist at DelSite Biotechnologies.

"The results reported today in The New England Journal Of Medicine on the enhanced efficacy of FluMist 's, a live attenuated vaccine delivered as a liquid nasal spray, versus standard injected flu vaccines in children between the ages of six months and five years is a very encouraging note for the broader adoption of a nasal vaccine delivery option," he added.

DelSite's nasal powder vaccine delivery platform, called GelVac, is a nasal powder vaccine delivery platform based on the GelSite polymer technology. Having recently completed successful human safety Phase I study (with a GelSite polymer powder system) and earlier preclinical work that established GelVac's ability to immunize subjects against severe flu challenges in a series of animal models, the vaccine delivery technology with antigen is scheduled to enter Phase I human testing. The company currently is in the process of acquiring flu antigen in order to initiate the human study.

GelVac, a nasal powder vaccine delivery platform, based on GelSite polymer, is a dry powder formulation delivered nasally providing several potential advantages over other systems, including better stability, room temperature storage, no need for preservatives, no need for needles and is mucoadhesive providing prolonged nasal residence time. Nasal immunization induces both systemic and mucosal immune responses. The GelVac delivery system increases antigen nasal residence time, providing for prolonged contact with the mucosal surface which may improve immune response for many different classes of antigens.

GelSite polymer is a naturally sourced, high-molecular-weight anionic polysaccharide that exhibits distinct chemical and functional properties proprietary to the Company. GelSite is water-based and is capable of in situ gelation, i.e., changing either a solid or liquid formulation into a gel upon contact with body fluids that leads to controlled-release of active biomolecules.