German Startup With Ties to Gates Foundation Awarded $5 Million to Develop Nasal mRNA Vaccine

By Michael Nevradakis, Ph.D.

CEPI awarded the grant on Feb. 11 to German-based biotech company Ethris to support the development of “spray-dried RNA vaccines that … are suitable for mucosal delivery.” Critics questioned the technology’s safety.

A German biotechnology startup with ties to the Gates Foundation has received $5 million to develop a nasal mRNA vaccine to slow viral transmission and “end future disease outbreaks faster.” Critics say the vaccines pose health risks and are meant to overcome growing public objections to mRNA shots.

The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) awarded the grant on Feb. 11 to Ethris, a biotech company based in Planegg, Germany. In June 2024, Ethris received $5 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

According to CEPI, this latest round of funding will support the development of “spray-dried RNA vaccines that … are suitable for mucosal delivery.” The Gates Foundation co-founded CEPI in 2017.

The nasal vaccines would use spray-drying technology, also used in asthma inhalers, “that rapidly dries liquid with hot gas to form stable powders for respiratory delivery via the nose,” the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy reported.

According to CEPI, “nasal administration could help to achieve mucosal immunity which scientists believe is key for reducing virus transmission.”

The vaccine would remain stable at room temperature, which would “eliminate the need for cold-chain logistics” used by existing mRNA vaccines, making the products accessible to poorer countries, CEPI added.

Raafat Fahim, Ph.D., CEPI’s interim executive director of Manufacturing and Supply Chain, said “This technology may improve our ability to contain future epidemic or pandemic threats, compared to current RNA vaccines.”

Christian Plank, Ph.D., chief technology officer at Ethris, said, “If successful, this approach has the potential to transform vaccine delivery and accessibility on a global scale.”

However, according to epidemiologist Nicolas Hulscher, “Nasal administration of mRNA encoding for toxic antigens will still pose severe health risks.”

Hulscher said the nasal mucosa has a high concentration of blood vessels. “Certain formulations of mRNA — especially those using lipid nanoparticles — may cross epithelial barriers and enter the bloodstream, leading to systemic, uncontrolled antigen production.”

In conventional mRNA COVID-19 shots, lipid nanoparticles deliver mRNA to human cells. However, researchers have found that lipid nanoparticles also deliver DNA contaminants into cells.

In an analysis on Substack, immunologist and computational biologist Jessica Rose, Ph.D., said it has been difficult to produce lipid nanoparticle products “because we don’t have good ways to measure where they go and what the physiological effects would be if they showed up in say, the heart.”

According to Hulscher, nasal mRNA vaccines are not intended to reduce the spread of viruses and respiratory illnesses but are instead “an attempt to increase mRNA uptake in a world that increasingly rejects gene-based technologies.”

Karl Jablonowski, Ph.D., senior research scientist at Children’s Health Defense, agreed. He said, “A room-temperature-stabilized aerosol vaccine is a tool that will enable governments to vaccinate an unsuspecting population. I have no doubt that this technology will be used to usurp medical autonomy under the guise of public health.”

Ethris, CEPI closely connected to the Gates Foundation

This is not Ethris’ first foray into non-injectable mRNA vaccines. Ethris’ June 2024 grant from the Gates Foundation funded the development of an inhaled mRNA vaccine “with the potential to address a broad spectrum of chronic respiratory diseases and emerging respiratory infections.”

Ethris’ connection to the Gates Foundation is not limited to this grant. Indian pharmaceutical company Cipla, listed as one of Ethris’ investors, received $1.17 million from the Gates Foundation in 2021 to “accelerate” the development of “a low-cost COVID therapeutic to populations in low- and middle-income countries.”

CEPI also is a beneficiary of the Gates Foundation, which in 2017 co-founded CEPI with the Wellcome Trust, the World Economic Forum (WEF) and the governments of Norway and India.

In January 2022, the Gates Foundation and the Wellcome Trust pledged $300 million to CEPI “to fight COVID-19 and combat [the] threat of future pandemics.” In 2021, CEPI launched a “moonshot” mission to create the infrastructure for the development of “pandemic-busting vaccines in 100 days.”

Hulscher said Gates’ involvement in efforts to develop nasal and inhalable vaccines is a cause for concern. “Because CEPI collaborates with the Gates Foundation and the WEF, these new products should face maximum scrutiny.”

Jablonowski was skeptical of CEPI’s efforts to develop vaccines in 100 days.

“The ‘100 Day Mission’ to compress the development and distribution of a novel vaccine to 100 days is dismissive of crucial safety monitoring. Long-term effects are unknowable in such a short trial window.”

Previous nasal flu vaccines tied to children’s deaths, serious adverse events

Nasal vaccines are not new. In 2003, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved FluMist, a nasal vaccine targeting flu virus subtypes A and B. FluMist does not use mRNA technology.

In 2016, FluMist — since acquired by AstraZeneca — was pulled off the U.S. market because it was ineffective against a common strain of flu in kids. But in 2018, the FDA again approved the vaccine, and in September 2024, the FDA approved FluMist for at-home administration.

The FDA granted these approvals even though FluMist has been associated with reports of children’s deaths.

According to data from the U.S. government-run Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), there were 48 reports of adverse events resulting in death in connection with FluMust — including at least 23 deaths in children 17 and under.

VAERS data also show 11,121 adverse events have been reported following the administration of FluMist products — including 947 that were classified as “serious.” About half of the reports were for children 17 and under.

A 2011 Harvard study found that less than 1% of adverse events are reported to VAERS.

Still, funding for new nasal vaccines has continued, as they offer “easy access to a key part of the immune system” and are considered advantageous for manufacturers in terms of cost, convenience, and ease of administration and disposal.

In June 2024, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) granted $500 million for clinical trials of “next-generation” nasal and oral COVID-19 vaccines.

The funding was awarded through the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority as part of the $5 billion Project NextGen, which aims to support the development of innovative vaccines that are easier to administer.

Original source: https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/german-startup-ties-gates-foundation-develop-nasal-mrna-vaccine/