New vaccine technology being used to fight cancer and influenza could be re-tooled to help protect the elderly against coronavirus.
Researchers from Melbourne's Monash University and the National University of Singapore say their studies have triggered long-term immunity in animals.
"Given the enormous impact that COVID-19 has had on aged care facilities globally, there is an urgent need for a vaccine that can work in older people, who often have weakened immunity and do not respond as effectively to vaccines," said Monash's Associate Professor Mireille Lahoud.
The two universities have spent 12 years developing the vaccine platform, which they say triggers immunity against cancer, influenza and other infectious diseases.
Now they're using it to target what is known as the spike protein in SARS-CoV-2.
Associate Professor Lahoud said the vaccine platform harnesses the dendritic cell within the immune system and this fast-tracks an immune response.
Researchers have developed a protein, called Clec9A, that attaches to dendritic cells in animals and helps trigger an immune response to the spike protein in the virus.
"Importantly the study found that this vaccine stimulated a strong immune response against COVID-19 in both young and old mice," the universities said in a statement.
"The researchers have already developed a lead vaccine against COVID-19 which stimulates the dendritic cell pathway."
The universities aim to to conduct more animal studies and then target clinical trials of the vaccine for older patients.
They are also raising funds to develop the coronavirus vaccine platform.
