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Human trials of universal flu vaccine begin

5 September 2008 

Clinical trials of a new vaccine that could protect against multiple types of flu are beginning at Oxford University. If successful, the ‘universal’ flu injection would transform the way we vaccinate against influenza and could offer immunity to a bird flu pandemic.

Current vaccines are only effective against certain strains of flu. New formulations have to be developed every year according to which types of flu are thought likely to be circulating that winter.

“This approach to influenza vaccination is unsatisfactory for use against seasonal influenza, and of little use when new types of flu begin to infect humans from birds,” says Dr Sarah Gilbert of the Jenner Institute, University of Oxford. “It leaves manufacturers with a few months to produce the necessary stocks, the vaccine has to be administered to at-risk populations within a short time window, and those receiving the injection will all have to be vaccinated again the following year.”

Existing flu vaccines work by inducing protective antibodies to proteins on the outer surface of the influenza virus. These proteins differ between strains and change over time, so each vaccine only works against a specific strain.

The Oxford scientists led by Dr Gilbert are taking a new approach. They have developed a novel vaccine that targets internal proteins essential to the flu virus that change very little over time or between strains.

“By targeting the internal proteins of the virus, we can come up with a universal flu jab,” explains Dr Gilbert. “The same vaccine would work against all seasonal flu and protect against bird flu.”

Such a universal vaccine would not change from year to year, removing the need for annual immunisations. All ages could receive the injection at any time of year, and manufacturers would be able to produce supplies continuously at a sufficient level.

“Children would be protected, we’d see economic benefits through reduced sickness in people of working age, and the elderly, who respond less well to vaccination, would be better off through lack of exposure to flu,” explains Dr Gilbert.

In the Phase I clinical trial, 12 healthy volunteers are receiving the single injection of the new vaccine. Their immune response will then be monitored over time. Should this trial be successful, further clinical trials will be necessary before the vaccine can be approved. The research is funded by the Wellcome Trust.

The vaccine developed by Dr Gilbert and colleagues induces T cells, part of the body’s immune system, to kill any cells infected by the flu virus, so controlling the infection. The body maintains a low-level T cell response to flu from previous flu infections which the vaccine should boost to levels high enough to protect against subsequent infection.

For more information please contact Dr Sarah Gilbert on 01865 617605 or sarah.gilbert@ndm.ox.ac.uk

Or the Press Office, University of Oxford, 01865 280530, press.office@admin.ox.ac.uk.

Notes to Editors

  • A flu pandemic with potentially devastating effects across the world could occur if bird flu acquired the ability to be transmitted between humans. There were four such pandemics in the 20th century, with the 1918 pandemic causing an estimated 40–50 million deaths worldwide. According to the World Health Organization, there have been 385 cases of the H5N1 avian influenza being transmitted from birds to humans since 2003, resulting in 243 deaths.
  • Flu caught during the winter months, or seasonal flu, has a huge annual impact worldwide. In the US alone, flu causes illness in tens of millions of people, hundreds of thousands of hospitalisations, and tens of thousands of deaths. It also has a large economic burden. Figures from Europe suggest that flu accounts for around 10% of sick leave, with the cost of lost productivity in France and Germany alone estimated at €8.3–12.6 billion per year.
  • Oxford University’s Medical Sciences Division is one of the largest biomedical research centres in Europe. It represents almost one-third of Oxford University’s income and expenditure, and two-thirds of its external research income. Oxford’s world-renowned global health programme is a leader in the fight against infectious diseases (such as malaria, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and avian flu) and other prevalent diseases (such as cancer, stroke, heart disease and diabetes). Key to its success is a long-standing network of dedicated Wellcome Trust-funded research units in Asia (Thailand, Laos and Vietnam) and Kenya, and work at the MRC Unit in The Gambia. Long-term studies of patients around the world are supported by basic science at Oxford and have led to many exciting developments, including potential vaccines for tuberculosis, malaria and HIV, which are in clinical trials.
  • The Wellcome Trust
    The Wellcome Trust is the largest charity in the UK. It funds innovative biomedical research, in the UK and internationally, spending around £600 million each year to support the brightest scientists with the best ideas. The Wellcome Trust supports public debate about biomedical research and its impact on health and wellbeing. www.wellcome.ac.uk

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