The universal vaccine against gripe is one step closer. Last Tuesday, the US National Institutes of Health announced the launch of a phase I clinical trial of one of the potential candidates, in which Up to 100 adult volunteers will participate.
as published Gizmodoin the first experiments carried out with this vaccine, it was found that protected vaccinated animals against fatal doses of multiple strains of influenza.
The vaccine is called BPL-1357 and is being developed by a group of researchers from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) of the United States.
This BPL-1357 vaccine contains four strains of avian influenza viruses that are not believed to be highly pathogenic, which are then are further weakened and they cannot replicate.
Success in mice and ferrets
in rehearsals carried out with mice and ferrets, BPL-1357 outlined the possibility of creating a universal flu vaccine. Mice given BPL-1357 were able to survive lethal doses of six different flu strains, including two subtypes not directly covered by the vaccine.
Current seasonal flu vaccines can cover multiple strains, but they have to be updated every year, along with other drawbacks such as provide modest protection against the flu and that do not induce an immune response in mucus-filled regions of the nose, throat, and lungs.
The BPL-1357 vaccine can be administered as a nasal spray or intramuscularly with an injection. It will put volunteers between the ages of 18 and 55 and randomly sort them into three groups.
One group will receive first a dose of BPL-1357 as an injection, then a saline placebo nasal spray; the other will receive a placebo injection, then the nasal spray vaccine; and the last one will receive a placebo injection and a nasal spray.
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The groups of the experiment will be monitored and periodically and for six months they will undergo blood tests and nasal swabs.
“Flu vaccines that can create long-lasting protection against a wide range of seasonal flu viruses, as well as those with pandemic potential, would be invaluable public health tools,” said NIAID Director, Anthony Fauci.
“The scientific community is making progress on this pressing global health priority. The candidate flu vaccine BPL-1357 being tested in this clinical trial performed very well in preclinical studies and we look forward to learning how it works in people,” Fauci concluded.
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