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A vaccine manufacturer announced in a press release that its SynCon vaccine approach using a DNA antigen collection had generated largely immune responses against the most lethal strains of H3N2 influenza viruses.
In addition, this influenza vaccine candidate provided complete protection against heterologous lethal assays in a pre-clinical mouse study.
In order to overcome the antigenic diversity of H3N2 viruses, Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has developed a collection of H3HA DNA antigens and has demonstrated a broad and functional immune response against H3 viruses in mice.
Vaccination was also able to induce robust responses to CD4 and CD8 T cells, which would be essential for the prevention of disease in the elderly.
In addition, all vaccinated mice (100%) survived when they were infected with 10 times the deadly viral doses of two of the H3N2 viruses that circulated during the 1968 and 1982 epidemics, highlighting the strong protection of the vaccine H3HA from Inovio.
Inovio is currently in talks with third party donors to support the company's technology development, with its benefits in promoting global human health.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), H3N2 strikes harder than other strains of seasonal influenza and can be particularly deadly among vulnerable groups such as the elderly and children.
The researchers still do not know why, but they discovered that an influenza season involving the H3 virus is usually more virulent – with more hospitalizations and deaths related to the flu – than the seasons involving mainly viruses H1N1 or B, explains the CDC.
In addition, the H3 part of the vaccine currently available on the market does not only work in the elderly.
According to the CDC, during the 2017/18 influenza season, adults aged 18 to 49 years were given very little protection – 13% – of the H3 component.
The problem that Inovio hopes to resolve with this vaccine candidate is throughout the 2017-2018 influenza season. The effectiveness of the commercially available H3N2 vaccine has been low due to the inadequacy between the vaccine and circulating H3N2 viruses.
"In some populations, the vaccine has only been shown to be 13% effective, which has contributed to a much higher rate of pneumonia and deaths related to influenza," said Dr. Laurent Humeau, Vice President Director of Research and Development at Inovio.
"This study is a step towards conquering the diversity of the H3N2 flu viruses that have been vexing researchers for years. In this preclinical study, Inovio demonstrated that its SynCon® antigen design method is capable of providing protection against multiple strains of H3N2.
Earlier this year, Inovio said that its synthetic vaccine approach using a collection of synthetic DNA antigens has generated a widespread immune response against all major deadly strains of H1 flu virus in the last 100 years . models comprising mice, guinea pigs and non-human primates.
Regardless of the effectiveness of the influenza vaccine, the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) said the influenza vaccine should be administered no later than the end of October.
Which means that most people can easily adhere to this suggestion from the CDC when they next visit a pharmacy.
To find information on the prices of the influenza vaccine, the CDC's list of vaccines provides private sector prices for general information.
You will find discounts on influenza vaccines here.
According to the CDC, vaccines, like all drugs, can have side effects. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of vaccines to the FDA or CDC.
Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is an advanced stage biotechnology company specializing in the discovery, development and commercialization of DNA-based immunotherapies that transform the treatment of cancer and infectious diseases.
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