"Virus, spray it in your nose and it's over"... SK vasa nasal spray development

SK Bioscience Research Institute is conducting research for vaccine development. (Photo=SK Bioscience)

[뉴스토마토 동지훈 기자] SK Bioscience (302440)is to build the next pandemic system with a spray that prevents virus infection by spraying it on the nose. While there are positive evaluations that it can contribute to quarantine in underdeveloped countries, there is also a prudence centered on failure cases of similar products.

According to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety on the 15th, product approval is in progress for SK Bioscience’s new coronavirus infection (COVID-19) vaccine ‘Skycobi One Multi-Zoo (developed disease GBP510, hereafter referred to as SKYCOBI One)’.

SK Bioscience is preparing for the next pandemic by expanding the scope of research and development while proceeding with the Skycobi One approval process. One of the projects under the Next Pandemic regime is the development of nasal sprays.

This project is carried out through R&D support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and cooperation with the International AIDS Vaccine Promotion Center (IAVI) and the Institute of Antigen Design (IPD) at the University of Washington.

The nasal spray that SK Bioscience intends to develop is a method that maintains the preventive effect for a certain period of time by spraying an antiviral protein into the nose when a viral infectious disease such as Corona 19 is prevalent.

The nose is the main route for viral infections to enter. SK Bioscience believes that when a spray is sprayed into the nose, small-scale proteins can disrupt virus penetration and prevent infection.

There are also examples of products that have been licensed and used in different countries in the form of nasal sprays. AstraZeneca’s Flumist is one of the flu vaccines.

Flumist is a vaccine made by attenuating a live virus. In the early stage of commercialization, it was expected to show a significant effect mainly at a young age, but after the appearance of the mutation, the preventive effect dropped to 3%, and there was even a recommendation not to use it in the United States.

Professor Kim Woo-joo of the Department of Infectious Diseases at Korea University Guro Hospital said, “Flumist is one of the live vaccines that have been treated with a live attenuated influenza virus. stopped,” he said.

Regarding the nasal spray that SK Bioscience is envisioning, he said, “There are difficulties in inoculation because the infrastructure for storing and transporting vaccines is not in place in underdeveloped countries such as Africa. This will be convenient.”

SK Bioscience is focusing on the role of the first line of deterrence that can be used in the event of a new infectious disease beyond the means of responding to COVID-19. It can be used as part of initial quarantine before a vaccine is developed, regardless of regional circumstances.

An SK Bioscience official explained, “The nasal spray is not a vaccine, but a form of spraying a substance that can block viruses in the nose. .

The official also added, “If a development platform is equipped, it can be used when a specific virus is prevalent.”

By Dong Ji-hoon, staff reporter jeehoon@etomato.com