JCI: scientists have created the world's first oral synthetic non biological vaccine!

March 18, 2018 / BIOON / - researchers from Cardiff University have created the world's first synthetic abiotic vaccine Photo source: NCI, a non biological influenza vaccine, can be used orally, indicating a revolution in vaccine transportation The vaccine is stable at room temperature, can be used in the form of tablets, and does not need to be refrigerated, which is the biggest cost of most vaccines transportation at present Vaccines that do not need to be refrigerated are easier and more suitable for use in developing countries Professor Andrew Sewell, from Cardiff University School of medicine, who led the study, said: "oral vaccines have many benefits This is good news not only for those who are afraid of injection, but also for those vaccines that are easier to store and transport, making them more suitable for use in remote areas where there are problems with vaccines that currently need refrigeration As the first synthetic stable vaccine, the new vaccine is prepared by a novel method - a method called "mirror image" of protein molecules, which can form active proteins Standard vaccines usually require the introduction of safe pathogens or harmless parts of pathogens into our bodies These foreign proteins can stimulate our immune cells to remember these proteins, so that they can initiate a strong immune response when encountering these proteins again Common pathogens or proteins are digested after oral administration The new work shows that the stable mirror image of these proteins can also induce protective immune responses And these mirror molecules will not be digested, thus opening a new era of immunity through oral stable abiotic vaccine Professor Sewell explained: "the carbon atoms that make up all the proteins on earth are left-handed molecules, but they also have an abiotic right-handed form Although the two molecules as like as two peas appear, they are actually mirror images, and like our left hand and right hand, we can not completely overlap The left-handed form of protein is easily digested and has a short life span under natural conditions But the unnatural right-handed form of protein is stable "We found that these unnatural molecules can also be successfully used as vaccines, which opens a door for further exploration of other unnatural stable drug molecules as vaccines in the future." The new work provides a concept for laboratory research, but more research is needed to develop similar vaccines for larger populations and more diseases It will probably take many years before the abiotic vaccine can be used in humans The study was published in Journal of clinical investigation Reference: Andrew K Sewell et.al Peptide mic for influenza safety using nonnatal combinatorial chemistry Jci.doi: 10.1172/jci91512