Clinical vaccine development for H5N1 influenza

Abstract

H5N1 is a highly pathogenic avian influenza virus that can cause severe disease and death in humans. H5N1 is spreading rapidly in bird populations and there is great concern that this virus will begin to transmit between people and cause a global crisis. Vaccines are the cornerstone strategy for combating avian influenza but there are complex challenges for pandemic preparedness including the unpredictability of the vaccine target and the manufacturing requirement for rapid deployment. The less-than-optimal response against the 2009 H1N1 pandemic unmasked the limitations associated with influenza vaccine production and in 2010, the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology re-emphasized the need for new recombinant-based vaccines and adjuvants that can shorten production cycles, maximize immunogenicity and satisfy global demand. In this article, the authors review the efforts spent in developing an effective vaccine for H5N1 influenza and summarize clinical studies that highlight the progress made to date.

Keywords::

• adjuvant
• dose sparing
• emulsion
• H5N1
• pandemic influenza
• recombinant protein
• Toll-like receptor 4
• vaccine

Financial & competing interests disclosure

This work was funded in part by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health Grant 2R44AI081383. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.