A new trial is being launched to investigate whether inhaling two potential vaccines into the lungs could be more effective than injections.

Researchers at Imperial College London are using the new approach, in which the vaccines in development will go directly to the respiratory tract of volunteers and the source of the infection. It is hoped it could induce a more effective immune response.

Imperial College and Oxford University both have vaccines, which are being trialed, and they will be given to volunteers in droplets that are inhaled during the tests rather than being injected into muscle.

Inhalation has been effective in delivering the influenza vaccine, although many vaccines are traditionally delivered by injection.

"We have evidence that delivering influenza vaccines via a nasal spray can protect people against flu as well as help to reduce the transmission of the disease," said Chris Chiu, who is leading the project.

"We are keen to explore if this may also be the case for SARS-CoV-2 and whether delivering COVID-19 vaccines to the respiratory tract is safe and produces an effective immune response."

Around 30 people will be recruited for the trials to see if the vaccines give a localized and potentially more specialized response.

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Checking the local response of the vaccines is what makes this trial unique.

"A number of groups around the world are currently working on clinical trials for COVID-19 vaccines, and these will tell us whether these candidates can produce a systemic immune response against the virus," said Robin Shattock, of Imperial's Department of Infectious Disease and research lead on the Imperial vaccine.

"However, these trials are unlikely to tell us anything about the localized response in the nose, throat and airways – where the virus primarily attacks and invades cells.

"It may well be that one group has the right vaccine but the wrong delivery method and only trials such as this will be able to tell us that. We look forward to assessing different delivery methods and pushing forward the global scientific effort against this virus."

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