Plant And Bacteria Based Covid-19 Vaccines Can End The Pandemic, Says Study

The current variety of Covid-19 vaccines require some form of refrigeration - especially mRNA jabs like Pfizer and Moderna.

A few nanoengineers at the University of California may have changed the game by creating vaccines that can survive and retain their protection capabilities in the heat. What are these vaccines made of, you wonder? Shockingly and simply enough - viruses from planets and/or bacteria.

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Plant and bacteria based Covid vaccines

The new vaccines that do not require refrigeration are still in their early development phases. But the scientists found that the vaccines produced a high antibody response among mice during trials.

Also read: Tech Used In Oxford Covid Vaccine Could Help Fight Cancer, Reveals Study

If the same holds true for people, the vaccines could save thousands of lives in areas where logistic issues get in the way of vaccine distribution, especially in poorer countries.

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The performance and development of plant-based no fridge vaccines was revealed in the Journal of the American Chemical Society on September 7. As part of this research, scientists created two vaccine candidates - one is made from a plant virus called "cowpea mosaic virus", while the other one is made from a bacterial virus called "Q beta".

How were these vaccines created?

To create both the Covid-19 vaccines, scientists used cowpea plants and E. coli bacteria to harvest millions of copies, which were grown in nanoparticles that are shaped like balls. Covid-19's spike protein (which is responsible for the infection), was then attached to these nanoparticles.

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As is true for most vaccines, the vaccines resemble an active infection - making it possible for the immune system to read the vaccine and to generate an immune response against Covid-19.

Also read: Explained: How Covid-19 Vaccines Help Slow Down Deadly SARS-CoV-2 Mutant Variants

Plant viruses and bacteria used in vaccines have plenty of advantages over other available vaccines, for they can be produced in large scale. Even at extremely high temperatures, the plant-based vaccines are extremely stable, making their shipment process easier across all terrain.

The vaccines are being packaged into polymer implants as well as microneedle patches. Essentially, the implants will be injected underneath one's skin and release the vaccine over the course of a month. The vaccine would be administered only once.

As for the microneedle patches, those can be worn on one's arm without pain, the researchers claim.

Would you open to the idea of such vaccines? Let us know in the comments and don't forget to check out Indiatimes.com for your daily dose of science and tech.