A team of researchers, led by the University of Houston, has discovered two new ways of preventing and treating respiratory viruses. In back-to-back papers in Nature Communications, the team - from the lab of Navin Varadarajan, M.D.
Anderson Professor of William A. Brookshire Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering - reports the development and validation of NanoSTING, a nasal spray, as a broad-spectrum immune activator for controlling infection against multiple respiratory viruses; and the development of NanoSTING-SN, a pan-coronavirus nasal vaccine, that can protect against infection and disease by all members of the coronavirus family. NanoSTING therapeutic highlights -- NanoSTING, a nasal spray, can prevent multiple respiratory viruses by activating the immune system and preventing infection from viruses.
It can also protect against SARS-CoV-2 reinfection. -- A single intranasal dose of the NanoSTING has proven effective against strains of SARS-CoV-2 and the flu virus. -- NanoSTING is complementary to vaccines and enables cells to be in a heightened state of alert to prevent attack from respiratory viruses.
NanoSTING-NS pan-coronavirus vaccine highlights -- UH researchers have developed NanoSTING-SN, a nasal vaccine that prevents transmission to the unvaccinated and fights multiple COVID variants. -- NanoSTING-SN provides the exciting potential towards a universal coronavirus vaccine and may end the cycle of onward transmission and viral evolution in immunocompromised peopl.