A safer and potentially more effective vaccine to combat the most common and deadliest strain of avian flu has been tested by University of Pittsburgh researchers.
Developed by Novavax Inc. of Rockville, MD, the vaccine is radically different from other avian flu vaccines, which are typically developed from live viruses grown in chicken eggs, explains Ted Ross, lead author of the study and assistant professor at CVR. The vaccine uses a virus-like particle, or VLP, that is recognized by the immune system as a real virus but lacks genetic information to reproduce, making it a better alternative because it's safer and faster to produce.
The vaccine was also engineered to encode genes for three influenza viral proteins, offering greater protection against possible new strains of the virus that may develop over time, Ross said.
CVR, a major global tester of VLP vaccines, is also working on vaccines for West Nile virus, HIV and Dengue Virus. The study was published by the Public Library of Science in the Jan. 30th issue of
PLoS ONE.
CVR is currently expanding its team of investigators from five to 12 and is hoping to attract several high-powered names, Ross says.
Writer: Deb Smit
Source: Ted Ross, University of Pittsburgh Center for Vaccine Research
Image courtesy University of Pittsburgh