Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Publishes Phase 1 Trials for Nasal COVID Vaccine Results

Author(s):

Mike Hollan

The delivery method showed promise in preventing the illness.

Experts are researching the effectiveness of using nasal delivery systems for COVID vaccines.

Stock.adobe.com

While many consider the pandemic to be a thing of the past, COVID-19 is still a highly active virus that still impacts thousands of people. The pharma industry rose to occasion and developed multiple COVID vaccines, and the work on these vaccines continues to this day.

Key Takeaways

COVID often enters the body through the nasal passage.
Vaccines delivered through nasal passages may be more effective in preventing illness.
Clinical trial data on nasal COVID vaccines shows promising results.

How effective are nasal vaccines for preventing COVID?

Traditionally, COVID vaccines have been delivered via injections. According to the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, the virus most often enters its victims through the nasal passages. As a result, researchers reportedly began looking into potentially delivering vaccines through the nasal tissue.

The children’s hospital recently published the findings of its first human clinical trials for a nasal COVID vaccine, which CyanVac LLC developed. According to the results, the delivery method shows promise.¹

In a press release, Cincinnati’s Children’s Hospital’s vice chair for clincal and translational research Paul Spearman, MD, said, “A single dose of this vaccine (CVXGA) was well tolerated. It generated a wide spectrum of specific immune responses including mucosal and systemic immune responses. Those who received the highest dose of the vaccine showed significantly lower rates of symptomatic COVID-19 infection.”

Spearman continued, “There is a need for improved COVID vaccines that offer more complete and durable protection. A nasal vaccine has the potential to block SARS-CoV-2 at its mucosal entry site and to reduce transmission of the virus to others."

Other organizations continue to work on COVID vaccine variations. Due to the high profile nature of the virus, experts have been able to use it as a way to fund research into new types of vaccines in general.

In February of this year, the European Commission approved the first self-amplifying mRNA vaccine for COVID, developed by CSL and Arcturus.² Self-amplifying mRNA vaccines have the ability to tell the body create more mRNA and protein after the initial dosage.

In a press release issued at the time, CSL’s senior vice president of its vaccine innovation unit Jonathan Edelman, MD, said, “The European Commission's approval marks a significant milestone in our ongoing development program for KOSTAIVE. We are actively working to optimize KOSTAIVE's formulation to better meet the needs of healthcare professionals and their patients. As COVID-19 remains an unpredictable global threat, CSL is dedicated to completing these technical enhancements and making this innovative vaccine available in Europe as soon as possible."

In the same press release, Arcturus’ CEO Joseph Payne added, “KOSTAIVE and sa-mRNA technology signify a major advancement in vaccine innovation, providing the potential for broader and more enduring protection. This approval highlights the clinical promise of KOSTAIVE and its ability to protect against the ever-changing COVID-19 virus."

Meanwhile, the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital is producing research beyond vaccine development.

The organization announced at the end of June that it had been able to produce human lung cells that could produce their own blood cells.³ According to a press release, this tissue could potentially be used to help repair damaged organ tissue across the body.

"Prior to our study, the development of lung organoids with organotypic vasculature had not been achieved," co-corresponding author Mingxia Gu, MD, PhD, said in a press release. "Notably, this method also could be applied to other organ systems such as intestine and colon."

In the same press release, CuSTOM co-director and director of the Division of Developmental Biology Aaron Zorn, PhD, added, “We look forward to continuing to learn more about the fundamental biology involved in organ formation and applying those discoveries to improving outcomes across a wide range of difficult human diseases and conditions.”

Sources

Nasal COVID Vax Shows Promise in Phase 1 Clinical Trial. Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. July 4, 2025. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nasal-covid-vax-shows-promise-in-phase-1-clinical-trial-302497198.html
European Commission Approves CSL and Arcturus Therapeutics' KOSTAIVE®, the First Self-amplifying mRNA COVID-19 Vaccine. CSL. February 14, 2025. Accessed July 7, 2025. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/european-commission-approves-csl-and-arcturus-therapeutics-kostaive-the-first-self-amplifying-mrna-covid-19-vaccine-302377086.html
First Lung Organoid with Organ-Specific Blood Vessels. Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Group. June 30, 2025. Accessed July 7, 2025. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/first-lung-organoid-with-organ-specific-blood-vessels-302494805.html

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