A second wind: new nasal spray flu vaccine to boost immunity of aging lungs

Karl Hille, The Baltimore Sun on Oct 7, 2026

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BALTIMORE — A single dose of a new nasal spray influenza vaccine can breathe new life into older lungs while providing broad protection against multiple influenza strains, researchers reported.

In trials with mice, the spray, which combines a boost of manganese ions and another immune-stimulating molecule, gave older mice a powerful immune reaction similar to younger mice, the researchers reported. Better yet, testing showed the immune system in the lungs of the mice was working more like younger mice in a control group.

“Given the poor efficacy of current influenza vaccines in elderly adults, the study holds the potential for safeguarding aging populations, who are disproportionately vulnerable to seasonal outbreaks and pandemics,” Shilin Gao, of Harvard Medical School, and her colleagues wrote.

They published their findings in the September issue of Science Immunology.

Older adults are recommended to get an annual flu vaccine to prevent flu-related complications. Vaccines with adjuvants, or additional ingredients designed to stimulate the immune system, are particularly recommended by National Foundation for Infectuous Diseases.

Those older than 65 who catch the flu increase their risk of heart attack three to five times and double or triple their stroke risk in the first two weeks of the infection. But the illness can contribute to 6-times higher risk of dying from complications for another few months. Getting an annual flu vaccine lowers your risk of heart attack and stroke as well, the NFID reports.

The researchers developed a nasal-spray vaccine boosted by the adjuvant combination called AMnESTI, which stands for AEC-targeting MN Encapsulated STING agonist. They analyzed RNA from the mice to evaluate how the vaccine affected their base-level immunity.

Human trials will be needed before the drug can be found in your local pharmacist. The authors also hope to develop new trials to test the benefit of combining their AMnESTI booster with other respiratory vaccines with pandemic potential.