Universal Flu Vaccine begins clinical trials on humans
A universal influenza vaccine is being tested for
the first time on humans.
A universal influenza vaccine that has been
pioneered by researchers from VIB and Ghent University is being tested for the
first time on humans by the British-American biotech company Acambis. This
vaccine is intended to provide protection against all ‘A’ strains of
the virus that causes human influenza, including pandemic
strains.
An average of 5% of the world’s population is annually infected with this virus. This leads to 3 to 5 million hospitalizations and 250,000 to 500,000 deaths per year.
In the 1990s, VIB researchers connected to Ghent University, under the direction of Prof. Emeritus Walter Fiers, invented a universal flu vaccine. One protein on the surface of the influenza virus, the so-called M2 protein, remains unchanged in all human flu viruses known, including the strains that caused the pandemics in the last century. On the basis of the M2-protein they developed a vaccine and successfully tested it on mice and other laboratory animals: the M2 vaccine provided total protection against ‘A’ strains of flu, without side effects.
The goal for this vaccine is that two inoculations would suffice to protect people against all ‘A’ strains of flu.
At some stage of testing, they’ll need old farts for the trials. I’ll see if I can volunteer.
An average of 5% of the world’s population is annually infected with this virus. This leads to 3 to 5 million hospitalizations and 250,000 to 500,000 deaths per year.
In the 1990s, VIB researchers connected to Ghent University, under the direction of Prof. Emeritus Walter Fiers, invented a universal flu vaccine. One protein on the surface of the influenza virus, the so-called M2 protein, remains unchanged in all human flu viruses known, including the strains that caused the pandemics in the last century. On the basis of the M2-protein they developed a vaccine and successfully tested it on mice and other laboratory animals: the M2 vaccine provided total protection against ‘A’ strains of flu, without side effects.
The goal for this vaccine is that two inoculations would suffice to protect people against all ‘A’ strains of flu.
At some stage of testing, they’ll need old farts for the trials. I’ll see if I can volunteer.
Posted: Wed - July 18, 2007 at 02:34 PM