Clark Chapman

Date of Award

5-2026

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Honors Thesis

Department

Pharmacy

First Advisor

Nandita Das

Second Advisor

Sudip Das

Abstract

Vaccines have stood the test of time as being one of the greatest developments in health history. Delivery of these life-saving vaccines has primarily remained reliant on intramuscular administration, which has its own collection of shortcomings. When considering what vaccine formulation is best suited to be a widely accessible and effective tool in the fight against respiratory pathogens, current data and science points to a number of improvements available to us. These improvements include:

• An inhaled formulation, uniquely stimulating mucosal immunity

• A dry powder formulation to improve long-term stability

• A live attenuated vaccine to increase immunogenic response

• Liposomal encapsulation to increase overall stability and delivery

• Utilization of a single-use, dry powder inhaler device to increase ease of transport and opening the door to self-administration Many of these elements are already common practice in vaccine development.

Still, there are no FDA approved inhaled vaccines for use, and a vaccine formulation that harnesses all the points above together has yet to be seen. Through literary investigation, a vaccine as described above is possible and within the realistic bounds of what modern science is capable of. An inhaled vaccine is a viable option that has shown efficacy and safety outcomes non-inferior, if not superior, to intramuscular delivery.

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