Switch to हिंदी

Health, Fitness, Beauty & Diet | Pregnancy & Parenting | Diseases & Home Remedies | TheHealthSite.com

Health, Fitness, Beauty & Diet | Pregnancy & Parenting | Diseases & Home Remedies | TheHealthSite.com

हिंदी
  • Health A-Z
  • Diabetes
  • Diseases
    • Type 1 Diabetes
    • Type 2 Diabetes
    • Cancer
    • Heart Attack
    • Pneumonia
    • Diseases A-Z
  • Diet & Fitness
    • Weight Management
    • Exercise & Body Building
    • Diet & Recipes
    • Yoga
  • Coronavirus
  • News
  • Pregnancy
    • Conceiving
    • Infertility
    • Labour & Delivery
    • Pregnancy week-by-week
    • Breastfeeding
    • Baby Names
  • Beauty
    • Skin
    • Hair
    • Grooming
  • Photos
  • Videos
Home / Health News / Single-dose nanoparticle vaccine for COVID-19: What is it and how effective is it against the virus?

Single-dose nanoparticle vaccine for COVID-19: What is it and how effective is it against the virus?

Nanoparticle COVID-19 vaccine will balance the effectiveness of viral-based vaccines with the safety and ease-of-production advantages.

By: Jahnavi Sarma   | | Updated: January 11, 2021 11:34 am
Tags: Coronavirus  Coronavirus Vaccine  COVID-19 Vaccine  single-dose COVID-19 vaccine  

COVID-19 vaccine rollout has begun across the world and in many places health care workers and high-risk groups are beginning to receive the shots. This offers hope for a return to normalcy amidst the pandemic. However, the vaccines authorized for emergency use require two doses to be effective, which can create problems with logistics and compliance. Now, researchers from Stanford University have managed to construct and test a promising vaccine candidate for COVID-19. What is unique about this vaccine is that it is a single dose one and it does not require a cold-chain for storage or transport. It is also likely to be a cheaper alternative. Also Read - Delhi health workers suffer mild reaction post COVID-19 vaccine: What you should expect 

This vaccine, detailed in a paper published in ACS Central Science, contains nanoparticles studded with the same proteins that comprise the virus’s distinctive surface spikes. In addition to being the reason why these are called coronaviruses, these spikes facilitate infection by fusing to a host cell and creating a passageway for the viral genome to enter and hijack the cell’s machinery to produce more viruses. The spikes can also be used as antigens, which means their presence in the body is what can trigger an immune response. Also Read - Rapid blood test predicts COVID-19 patients at high risk of severe disease: Study



Advantages of nanoparticle vaccines

Nanoparticle vaccines balance the effectiveness of viral-based vaccines with the safety and ease-of-production of subunit vaccines. Vaccines that use viruses to deliver the antigen are often more effective than vaccines that contain only isolated parts of a virus. However, they can take longer to produce, need to be refrigerated and are more likely to cause side effects. Nucleic acid vaccines — like the Pfizer and Moderna mRNA vaccines that have recently been authorized for emergency use by the FDA — are even faster to produce than nanoparticle vaccines but they are expensive to manufacture and may require multiple doses. Also Read - ‘Contagious’ UK strain could become dominant COVID-19 variant by March 2021, warns CDC

Easy to produce and transport

Initial tests in mice suggest that the Stanford nanoparticle vaccine could produce COVID-19 immunity after just one dose. The researchers are also hopeful that it could be stored at room temperature and are investigating whether it could be shipped and stored in a freeze-dried, powder form. By comparison, the vaccines that are farthest along in development in the United States all need to be stored at cold temperatures, ranging from approximately 8 to -70 degrees Celsius (46 to -94 degrees Fahrenheit). The researchers are continuing to improve and fine-tune their vaccine candidate, with the intention of moving it closer to initial clinical trials in humans.

Science behind this vaccine

The spike protein from SARS-CoV-2 is quite large. So researchers removed a section of the spike protein near the bottom. Then they combined this shortened spike with nanoparticles of ferritin, an iron-containing protein, which has been previously tested in humans. Then, in collaboration with scientists from the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, the researchers used cryo-electron microscopy to get a 3D image of the spike ferritin nanoparticles in order to confirm that they had the proper structure.

They compared their shortened spike nanoparticles to four other potentially useful variations: nanoparticles with full spikes, full spikes or partial spikes without nanoparticles, and a vaccine containing just the section of the spike that binds to cells during infection. Testing the effectiveness of these vaccines against actual SARS-CoV-2 virus would have required the work to be done in a Biosafety Level 3 lab, so the researchers instead used a safer pseudo-coronavirus that was modified to carry SARS-CoV-2’s spikes.

Nanoparticle vaccine produce high levels of neutralizing antibodies

The potential effectiveness of each vaccine was tested by monitoring levels of neutralizing antibodies. Antibodies are blood proteins produced in response to antigens; neutralizing antibodies are the specific subset of antibodies that actually act to prevent the virus from invading a host cell. After a single dose, the two nanoparticle vaccine candidates both resulted in neutralizing antibody levels at least twice as high as those seen in people who have had COVID-19, and the shortened spike nanoparticle vaccine produced a significantly higher neutralizing response than the binding spike or the full spike (non-nanoparticle) vaccines. After a second dose, mice that had received the shortened spike nanoparticle vaccine had the highest levels of neutralizing antibodies.

(With inputs from Agencies)

Published : January 9, 2021 11:45 am | Updated:January 11, 2021 11:34 am
Read Disclaimer

A new test can now detect COVID-19 antibodies in seconds: Quantify patient response to vaccines

A new test can now detect COVID-19 antibodies in seconds: Quantify patient response to vaccines

Indian COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective and affordable, says IMA

Indian COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective and affordable, says IMA

Please Wait. Article Loading ....

Coronavirus Updates

Coronavirus Updates

Stay Informed, Be Safe

  • Delhi health workers suffer mild reaction post COVID-19 vaccine: What you should expect 
  • Rapid blood test predicts COVID-19 patients at high risk of severe disease: Study
  • ‘Contagious’ UK strain could become dominant COVID-19 variant by March 2021, warns CDC
  • Separate consent form for Covaxin recipients: Compensation from Bharat Biotech in case of casualty
  • India launches world's largest Covid-19 vaccination drive: Who received the first shot?

Health Calculators

BMI Calculator
bmi Calculator
Ideal Body Weight
ideal body weight
Daily Calorie Intake
Daily calorie intake
Calories Burned
calories burned

Related Stories

Delhi health workers suffer mild reaction post COVID-19 vaccine: What you should expect 

Delhi health workers suffer mild reaction post COVID-19 vaccine: What you should expect 

Rapid blood test predicts COVID-19 patients at high risk of severe disease: Study

Rapid blood test predicts COVID-19 patients at high risk of severe disease: Study

‘Contagious’ UK strain could become dominant COVID-19 variant by March 2021, warns CDC

‘Contagious’ UK strain could become dominant COVID-19 variant by March 2021, warns CDC

Separate consent form for Covaxin recipients: Compensation from Bharat Biotech in case of casualty

Separate consent form for Covaxin recipients: Compensation from Bharat Biotech in case of casualty

India launches world's largest Covid-19 vaccination drive: Who received the first shot?

India launches world's largest Covid-19 vaccination drive: Who received the first shot?

Health News in Hindi

Bharat Biotech Covaxin Update: अन्य देशों को देने के लिए भारत बायोटेक से खरीदी जाएंगी 8.1 लाख कोवैक्सीन

Covid Vaccination In India: कोरोना टीकाकरण अभियान के पहले दिन 1.91 लाख लोगों को मिली वैक्सीन

Bird Flu in Delhi: दिल्ली में उल्लू, कबूतर और बगुलों में बर्ड फ्लू संक्रमण की पुष्टि

आखिर क्यों आरएमएल हॉस्पिटल के डॉक्टर्स भारत बायोटेक की ”कोवैक्सीन” की बजाय सीरम इंस्टीट्यूट की कोविशील्ड टीका लगवाने के लिए हैं तैयार, पढ़ें यहां

Corona Vaccine: नीति आयोग के सदस्य बोले- वैक्सीन सुरक्षित, अपने उत्पादों पर भरोसा रखें

Read All

Recent Posts

  • Mental illnesses on the rise in India: Know why and what you can do to fight the problem
  • Delhi health workers suffer mild reaction post COVID-19 vaccine: What you should expect 
  • Even minor forms of workplace mistreatment may up suicidal thoughts in employees
  • Rapid blood test predicts COVID-19 patients at high risk of severe disease: Study
  • Blood glucose level should be considered as ‘fifth vital sign’ during hospitalization: Indian docs

About The health Site

TheHealthSite.com is India's largest health site with more than 40 lakh unique visitors per month. We focus on fitness, beauty, health, pregnancy and more.

Most popular health and wellness website in India in 2012 at the Website of the year awards.

health@corp.india.com
+91 – 22 – 6697 1234
Landline Phone number 91 – 22 – 2490 0302.

ZEE ENTERTAINMENT ENTERPRISES LTD, 18th floor, A-Wing, Marathon Futurex, N. M. Joshi Marg, Lower Parel, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400013.

Useful Links

  • Weight Loss
  • Keto Diet Tips
  • Skin Care Tips
  • Intermittent Fasting
  • Apple Cider Vinegar
  • Ashwagandha
  • Cancer
  • Pneumonia
  • Diarrhoea
  • Dengue
  • Typhoid
  • Tuberculosis
  • Chickenpox
  • Chikungunya
  • Depression
  • Hepatitis
  • Diabetes
  • Type 2 diabetes
  • Arthritis
  • Swine Flu
  • Baby Names
  • Cough and cold
  • Heart Attack
  • Breast Cancer
  • Ebola Virus
  • Dengue
  • Malaria
  • International Yoga Day
  • Hypotension
  • Heart Failure
  • Asthma
  • Brain Tumour
  • Celebrity Fitness
  • Goitre
  • HIV/AIDS

We respect your privacy

  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us
  • Author Profiles

Copyright © 2021 Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited. All rights reserved.