Large-Scale Intranasal COVID-19 Vaccine Clinical Trial to Come, Involving 10,000 Participants

University of Georgia-based startup CyanVac LLC received $40 million in federal funding on Wednesday to launch its intranasal COVID-19 vaccine clinical trial. According to a University of Georgia (UGA) press release, CyanVac will sponsor a randomized, double-blind phase 2b study with 10,000 participants to compare the vaccine’s efficacy and safety against an FDA-approved mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine. This could be the largest clinical trial of a COVID-19 intranasal vaccine in the United States. Unlike the mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines on the market, which are injected intramuscularly, CyanVac’s vaccine, CVXGA, is inhaled through the nose. Additionally, the vaccine will not use the lipid nanoparticle platforms used in the mRNA vaccines. Instead, the formula will be delivered via a genetically modified strain of parainfluenza virus 5. This canine virus causes kennel cough in dogs but is harmless to humans. according to CyanVac....