U.S. Starts Human Trials Of Universal Flu Vaccine

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the United States has begun a Phase 1 human trial to test a new universal flu vaccination.

Photo Insert: Aerial view of the Clinical Center (Building 10), NIH Campus, Bethesda, MD

After animal research showed promising results, Rich Haridy of New Atlas revealed, that the trial will put the innovative vaccine to the test via nasal spray or injection.

“Influenza vaccines that can provide long-lasting protection against a wide range of seasonal influenza viruses, as well as those with pandemic potential, would be invaluable public health tools,” said Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

“The scientific community is making progress on this pressing global health priority.”

The new vaccine, known as BPL-1357, is a multivalent, whole-virus vaccine that contains inactivated copies of four different strains of influenza: H1N9, H3N8, H5N1, and H7N3. The viruses were inactivated using a chemical called beta-propiolactone (BPL).

In a preclinical study involving mice and ferrets, two doses of the experimental vaccine were found to be 100 percent protective against deadly dosages of six different strains of influenza.

These animal experiments also indicated that the vaccine was just as effective when administered as a nasal spray as it was when administered intramuscularly.

The Phase 1 experiment will enroll up to 100 healthy volunteers who will be randomly assigned to one of three groups: intranasal, intramuscular, or placebo. The seven-month study's major purpose will be to explore immunological responses and safety profiles in response to the new vaccination.

“With the BPL-1357 vaccine, especially when given intranasally, we are attempting to induce a comprehensive immune response that closely mimics immunity gained following a natural influenza infection,” noted Matthew Memoli, an NIAID researcher directing the trial.

“This is very different from nearly all other vaccines for influenza or other respiratory viruses, which focus on inducing immunity to a single viral antigen and often do not induce mucosal immunity.”

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