Latest news with #npjVaccines
Medscape
14-07-2025
- Health
- Medscape
How a Shingles Shot May Guard Against Dementia
New evidence suggests that AS01-based vaccines, beyond their established role in preventing shingles and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), may also reduce the risk for dementia. The supportive data, published on June 25 in the journal npj Vaccines, underscores the importance of maintaining up-to-date immunizations, particularly among older adults. 1. Dementia risk dropped after AS01 vaccines. Patients who received the shingles (Shingrix) or RSV (Arexvy) vaccines — both containing the AS01 adjuvant — had a significantly lower risk for dementia over 18 months compared to those who received the flu vaccine, with an 18% lower dementia diagnosis rate for shingles vaccine and a 29% lower rate for RSV vaccine. 2. Even greater protection when both vaccines were used. Receiving both AS01 vaccines was linked to a 37% reduced dementia risk, suggesting a possible additive effect. 3. It's the adjuvant, not the vaccine itself. The consistent protective signal observed in both shingles and RSV vaccine populations points to the AS01 adjuvant as the probable key factor. 4. What's in AS01? A powerful immune combo. The adjuvant includes MPL and QS-21, known to affect brain inflammation and Alzheimer's-related alterations. MPL stimulates immune cells, while QS-21 enhances the immune response. 5. More research needed, but promising. Experts stress that these are observational data and short-term, but the research adds weight to the growing case for broader vaccine benefits, including possible brain protection. Bottom line: While it's too early to change clinical practice, these findings hint that adjuvanted vaccines like Shingrix and Arexvy may do more than prevent infections; they might help guard against dementia, too.
NDTV
03-06-2025
- Health
- NDTV
US Researchers Develop New mRNA Vaccine To Fight Covid-19
New Delhi: Amid fresh surge in Covid-19 cases, a team of US researchers has developed a new type of mRNA vaccine that is more scalable and adaptable to tackle continuously evolving viruses such as SARS-CoV-2 and H5N1. While the currently available mRNA vaccines are highly effective at inducing an immune response against Covid, they present challenges like the high amount of mRNA needed to produce them and the constantly evolving nature of the pathogen. "The virus changes, moving the goal post, and updating the vaccine takes some time," said senior author Suresh Kuchipudi, chair of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health. To address these challenges, the researchers created a proof-of-concept Covid vaccine using what's known as a "trans-amplifying" mRNA platform. In this approach, the mRNA is separated into two fragments -- the antigen sequence and the replicase sequence -- the latter of which can be produced in advance, saving crucial time in the event a new vaccine must be developed urgently and produced at scale. In addition, the researchers analysed the spike-protein sequences of all known variants of the SARS-CoV-2 for commonalities, rendering what's known as a "consensus spike protein" as the basis for the vaccine's antigen. In mice, the vaccine induced a robust immune response against many strains of SARS-CoV-2. "This has the potential for more lasting immunity that would not require updating, because the vaccine has the potential to provide broad protection," said Kuchipudi. "Additionally, this format requires an mRNA dose 40 times less than conventional vaccines, so this new approach significantly reduces the overall cost of the vaccine." The study, published in the journal npj Vaccines could inform more efficient vaccine development for other constantly evolving RNA viruses with pandemic potential, Kuchipudi said. "We hope to apply the principles of this lower-cost, broad-protection antigen design to pressing challenges like bird flu."
