Dons join global fight against bird flu
Oxford scientists are spearheading research into a potential bird flu vaccine that could prevent the deaths of millions. The Oxford Vaccine Group are starting trials to devolop a vaccine for the deadly H5N1 strain that has already killed over 80 humans and led to the slaughter of millions of birds worldwide. These groundbreaking clinical trials come only months after it was revealled that the University was developing contingency plans in preparation for a potential global bird flu pandemic.
The team, led by Dr Andy Pollard, is currently recruiting 150 volunteers from Oxfordshire to receive a dose of the vaccine. The volunteers will have their blood analysed to see how their immune systems have responded to the drug. If the vaccinated participants are found to have significantly increased antibody levels in their blood then the vaccine could be used to prevent a devastating global H5N1 outbreak.
The H5N1 virus - Oxford scientists are racing to find a vaccine before pandemic strikes
But Tess Waterhouse, Senior Research Nurse on the study, warned that even if this H5N1 vaccine proves to be effective the world will still not be safe from a flu pandemic. “We don’t know which strain will hit,” she told The Oxford Student. Mutations or genetic transfer between any of the many different influenza strains could result in a virus that is highly transmittable and deadly in humans.
The study is funded by French pharmaceutical company Sanofi Pasteur and follows promising human trials in France. The Oxford scientists are working together with a Belgian team as part of a collaberative European effort. The study will test two new vaccine formulations that are made from the bird flu strain A/H5N1. Researchers will assess how well an adult’s immune system responds to the vaccine, as well as monitor its safety.
Dr Pollard said, “Influenza vaccines are usually well tolerated and this vaccine is made in a similar way to the vaccines that are given to millions of individuals around the world each year. Participants have the added reassurance that the 300- person trial in France showed the vaccines were safe. This is an important study on a pressing issue for human health.
In the Oxford study participants will be allocated randomly to one of two groups • one receiving the higher dose with adjuvant (a chemical component added to enhance immune response), the other receiving the lower dose. Participants will receive three doses of the vaccine over the course of 6 to 12 months. They will have their blood taken five or six times over a period of 12 to 18 months and it will be analysed for the antibody response.
Students can volunteer to take part in the study from Monday. Injections will take place in the Churchill Hospital.
18th May 2006