Why are we developing an oral vaccine for bird flu?

[Guest guest]

This is a nightmare scenario - and what exactly is in this adjuvant

of which they speak?

Meryl Dorey, AVN

Vaxart Awarded NIH Grant to Support Development of Orally-Delivered

H5N1 Avian Influenza Vaccine.

Article from:

<http://www.highbeam.com/Search.aspx?q=publication:%22Vaccine+Weekly%22 & sort=DT & \

sortdir=D>Vaccine

Weekly

Article date:

<http://www.highbeam.com/Search.aspx?q=VACCINATION%20pubdate:[20090920;20090926]\

>September

23, 2009

More results for:

<http://www.highbeam.com/Search.aspx?q=VACCINATION>VACCINATION

Vaxart, Inc., a San Francisco biotechnology company developing

oral-delivery vaccines, has been awarded a $2.8 million phase II

Small Business Innovation Research grant from the National Institute

of Allergy and Infectious Disease (National Institutes of Health) to

support development of its first product, an orally-delivered vaccine

for H5N1 Avian influenza (see also Bird Flu).

" We thank the NIH for funding the further safety and efficacy tests,

which, along with our previous successful animal studies, will pave

the way towards clinical trials, " said Principal Investigator

Tucker, Ph.D. The grant runs for a period of three years.

Vaxart has developed a proprietary approach to vaccine creation that,

the company believes, will enable it to produce a portfolio of

oral-delivery vaccines easily and quickly.

Central to Vaxart's approach is its unique adjuvant, the vaccine

component that enhances immune responses. Vaxart uses an adjuvant

that works through a " toll-like receptor " (TLR). TLR agents have been

widely applied in vaccines and are well accepted as effective immune

stimulators. Vaxart's approach employs TLR3 - the only TLR known to

be fully active in the gastrointestinal tract - to stimulate a potent

immune response when the vaccine is given in a pill instead of being injected.

The second advantage of the Vaxart approach is the ability to use the

same vector, or delivery vehicle, across all vaccines. Usually, each

vaccine requires a different vehicle, because people who have been

vaccinated build antibodies against the vehicle. Later vaccinations

using the same vehicle are less effective, as the body attacks the

vehicle instead of the disease target. Vaxart has overcome this

obstacle and has demonstrated strong immune responses against

multiple targets following a series of oral vaccines. Vaxart believes

it will be able to produce new vaccines through a standardized

low-cost process, with low regulatory risk because data from one

vaccine will help establish the safety of others.

The Vaxart Avian Flu Vaccine Program

The recent emergence of pandemic H1N1 flu has underlined the

importance of being prepared for pandemic illnesses. Avian flu is an

ideal first test for Vaxart's technology, due to its capability to

quickly protect people against new threats. In studies completed in

2008, the vaccine successfully protected large animals against death

from Avian flu infection.

Keywords: Allergies, Allergy Medicine, Avian Flu, Avian Influenza,

Biotechnology Business, Biotechnology Company, Bird Flu, Clinical

Trial Research, Flu Vaccines, Gastroenterology, Immunization,

Influenza Vaccines, Vaccination, Vaxart Inc.

This article was prepared by Vaccine Weekly editors from staff and

other reports. Copyright 2009, Vaccine Weekly via

<http://NewsRx.com>NewsRx.com.

--~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~

Sheri Nakken, R.N., MA, Hahnemannian Homeopath

Vaccination Information & Choice Network, Washington State, USA

Vaccines - http://www.nccn.net/~wwithin/vaccine.htm or

http://www.wellwithin1.com/vaccine.htm

Vaccine Dangers, Childhood Disease Classes & Homeopathy Online/email

courses - next classes start September 30 & October 1

http://www.wellwithin1.com/vaccineclass.htm or

http://www.wellwithin1.com/homeo.htm