A team of researchers recently collaborated to develop a new method involving red blood cells in the fight against COVID-19.
As specified in a ScienceDaily report, physicists, immunologists, and chemists at McMaster University have worked together "to modify red blood cells" to deliver viral agents which can safely stimulate the immune system to shield the body from SARS-CoV-2, creating a potential new vehicle for the delivery of the vaccine.
The modification of red blood cells to transport viral agents is providing new possibilities for the delivery of vaccines and therapeutics, says @McMasterScience’s Maikel Rheinstadter https://t.co/G90dZMDMYV
— McMaster University (@McMasterU) March 11, 2022
Developing new approaches and vaccine technologies is crucial for controlling the pandemic and preparing for future outbreaks as COVID-19 continues to evolve and mutate, the researchers explained.
This new technique is a unique approach to vaccination. Red blood cell membranes are embedded with SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins, forming virus-like particles.
New Approach to COVID-19 Vaccine
According to the paper's lead author, graduate student Isabella Passos-Gastaldo, they took the red blood cells and removed everything "from the inside." Then, they attached spike proteins to their outside to "mimic a coronavirus," she continued.
The particles, shown to stimulate the immune system and generate antibodies in mice, are harmless. The senior supervisor on the paper, Maikel Rheinstadter, a professor in the Department of Physics & Astronomy at McMaster, said that current delivery methods of COVID-19 vaccines frequently result in drastic immune system reactions "have short-lived responses.
He added some of the vaccines developed had exhibited side effects. This delivery platform has opened new possibilities for vaccines and treatments.
The study investigators discovered that cells could be loaded with a large dose of viral proteins, yet they likely produce few side effects, making the new approach more tolerable and effective compared to other choices of vaccines.
A Totally Different Vaccine Platform
The lead author on the study, Sebastian Himbert, also a recent graduate student in the Department of Physics & Astronomy at McMaster said they had developed a new approach where "we can trigger an immune response" without the use of genetic material yet they can synthesize such particles in a very short period.
This technology can be adapted fast to develop vaccines for COVID-19 variants or new viruses in the future.
Dawn Bowdish, Professor of Medicine at McMaster and Canada Research Chair in Aging & Immunity and co-author of the new study published in PLOS ONE, said this is the creative, the interdisciplinary study "that McMaster is known for."
He added it was exciting working with structural biologists, immunologists, and structural biologists to design an entirely different vaccine platform.
Making the Blood Cells Smart in Various Ways
A similar Medical Xpress report specified that the study authors first reported this method in 2020 when they modified red blood cells to deliver drugs in the entire body, targeting infections or treating catastrophic illnesses like Alzheimer's disease.
According to Rheinstadter, this platform makes the blood cells smart in many different ways. In this case, he added, it is a vaccine.
He also said, "We are using our own cells much like nanorobots" inside the bodies, and each time they detect a disease, they can combat it.
Related information about the immune system and COVID-19 is shown on Yale School of Medicine's YouTube video below:
Check out more news and information on COVID-19 on Science Times.
