A scientist’s recent medicinal brew — an ale designed to be a vaccine — is sparking a debate on nontraditional delivery methods for immunization. SN’s Tina Hesman Saey offers a taste of the controversy.
👨🔬 Brewing immunity
Chris Buck, a virologist at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Md., brewed a beer from common baker’s yeast that he coaxed to produce tiny, harmless viruslike particles. The viral target of this experimental vaccine is linked to bladder cancers and conditions affecting 1 to 3 percent of people in the United States. His team fed the yeast to mice and then exposed them to the virus. The mice were successfully protected from infection. Crucially, the test showed that the yeast-encapsulated vaccine particles remained intact and effective despite the harsh, acidic environment of the stomach. Buck concluded that this delivery mechanism could work in humans to train the immune system to recognize and fight real viruses safely.
Enter said humans.
After a quick taste test in which the brew was deemed “delightful,” Buck experimented on himself and found that he was able to produce antibodies. Friends, colleagues and family members who sampled the beer reported no ill effects, but there are no data on whether they made antibodies.
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