With a number of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines available, some researchers are turning to developing vaccines that are easier to store or administer, NPR reports.
It notes that while the three authorized vaccines in the US are effective, they are not necessarily 'ideal' vaccines. An 'ideal' vaccine, the University of Washington's Deborah Fuller tells it, would be "administered in a single shot, be room temperature stable, work in all demographics and, even pushed beyond that, ideally be self-administered."
According to NPR, researchers at Vaxart are working on a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine that could be taken as a pill, while researchers at University of Alabama at Birmingham are working with the others at Altimmune to develop one that is delivered as a nasal spray. At the same time, other researchers are working on vaccines that better mimic the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 or how the spike protein is presented in the vaccine.
Nicole Lurie, a strategic adviser at the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovation, tells it that while developing SARS-CoV-2 vaccines within a year was a triumph, developers now have to be nimble and move quickly.