Preclinical studies of a COVID-19 vaccine candidate at the University of Alabama at Birmingham show positive results that appear to distinguish this vaccine candidate from other vaccine candidates that are currently in advanced stages of clinical development, the Maryland-based Altimmune Inc. has announced.

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Unlike the other candidates that are administered by an intramuscular shot, the Altimmune candidate, AdCOVID, is administered by a single intranasal spray. In animal models at UAB, that single dose resulted in a potent T-cell response at the mucus layer of the lungs, including killer CD8+ T-cells, which can recognize and kill virally infected cells. Recent reports have suggested the importance of T-cell responses for long-term protection from COVID-19.

“The mucosal T-cell response in the respiratory tract is believed to be dependent on the intranasal route of administration, and we believe it has the potential to provide additional protection against COVID-19,” Altimmune announced today in a press release. “The induction of a mucosal T-cell response in the lungs has not been shown, to date, with the intramuscularly administered COVID-19 vaccine candidates that are currently in the advanced stages of clinical development.”