Funding will optimize H5N1 antigen expression in Inviragen’s vaccine vectors.
The NIH awarded Inviragen a two-year, $600,000 grant to support a collaboration with the University of Wisconsin, Madison (UWM). The research will be focused on developing a safe and effective flu vaccine designed to protect against the highly noxious H5N1 avian influenza virus.
Inviragen will contribute its expertise in the genetic engineering of vaccines for respiratory disease with the UWM’s expertise and experience in influenza.
“With this funding, we will optimize H5N1 antigen expression in Inviragen’s second-generation vaccine vectors. The resulting vaccines will be tested for safety and for the ability to protect animals from H5N1 influenza. Our goal is to develop a vaccine that is easy to manufacture, simple to administer, and provides broad protection against multiple H5N1 isolates,” says Jorge Osorio, assistant professor at UWM.
