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Updated: Aug 6, 2026
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Noninvasive Sampling of Mucosal Lining Fluid for the Quantification of In Vivo Upper Airway Immune-mediator Levels
Published on: August 7, 2017
Conference report: airway mucosal sampling and immune analysis
Joshua Rosenheim1, Bonnie Bender2, Jill Gilmour2
1Novo Nordisk Foundation Initiative for Vaccines and Immunity, NIVI Research Center, Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Vaccine
|July 17, 2026
Summary
Developing airway vaccines requires better understanding of respiratory mucosal immunity. A workshop recommended improved sampling and standardized assays to advance vaccine development against respiratory pathogens.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Vaccinology
- Respiratory Medicine
Background:
- Parenteral vaccines offer limited protection against respiratory pathogen infection and transmission.
- Airway-delivered vaccines hold potential for inducing protective mucosal immunity at the site of entry.
- Challenges in understanding airway immunity, tissue sampling, and assay standardization hinder mucosal vaccine progress.
Purpose of the Study:
- To address barriers in airway mucosal sampling and immunological assays for vaccine development.
- To foster collaboration and knowledge sharing among researchers, clinicians, and funders.
- To establish recommendations for standardizing and validating assays for mucosal vaccine research.
Main Methods:
- Convened a workshop with diverse stakeholders including researchers, clinicians, and funders.
- Reviewed current approaches to upper and lower respiratory tract sampling.
- Discussed assay technologies and regulatory considerations for mucosal endpoints.
Main Results:
- Identified key barriers: variability in sampling, low cell yields, limited assay standardization, and poor cross-study comparability.
- Highlighted the need for standardized, validated immunological assays.
- Formulated recommendations across four priority areas: Collaboration, Communication, Consistency, and Conduct of research.
Conclusions:
- Standardization and validation of airway sampling and immunological assays are crucial for advancing mucosal vaccine development.
- Enhanced collaboration and data sharing are essential to overcome current limitations.
- Implementing workshop recommendations will strengthen the foundation for effective airway-delivered vaccines against respiratory diseases.
