Adapting Pandemic Influenza Interventions And Management To The Newly-emerged Virus
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$245,098.00
Summary
The Australian Health Management Plan for Pandemic Influenza is based on data from past and current influenza. A newly-emerged influenza strain is likely to differ in some respects. This project will develop practical ways to adapt the management plan to the emerged virus from early pandemic data. It will determine the data needed to do this efficiently, to ensure that Australia receives the greatest benefit from its antiviral drugs, vaccines and other public health interventions introduced.
Enhancing Australia's Pandemic Influenza Vaccine Output By Increasing The Yeild Of Vaccine From Eggs
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$251,517.00
Summary
Influenza epidemics cause significant morbidity and mortality, particularly amongst the young and elderly. Unlike other vaccines, a new flu vaccine formulation needs to be prepared each year from the currently circulating strain. This involves a long process of preparing new seed vaccine stock, which is then tested, manufactured and distributed. The situation is even more complicated by the ability of different influenza strains to reassort with others. An example of current major concern is the ....Influenza epidemics cause significant morbidity and mortality, particularly amongst the young and elderly. Unlike other vaccines, a new flu vaccine formulation needs to be prepared each year from the currently circulating strain. This involves a long process of preparing new seed vaccine stock, which is then tested, manufactured and distributed. The situation is even more complicated by the ability of different influenza strains to reassort with others. An example of current major concern is the possibility of deadly avian flu viruses, such as H5N1, to gain the capacity to directly infect humans by recombining with a human strain and thereby starting a new global pandemic. When the next influenza pandemic occurs, the availability of a vaccine will be of the highest priority and early supply of vaccines will save millions of lives. Since vaccination is the only sustainable defense, we face an urgent need to have the capacity to supply large numbers of vaccine doses of influenza vaccines within a short period of time. Currently, the only way of producing flu vaccines is in eggs. The speed of vaccine supply is totally dependant on the yield of vaccine from eggs and the number of eggs that can be processed at any one time. Since there are severe constraints on the number of eggs that can be simultaneously processed, the limiting factor that can be addressed is the actual yield of vaccine per egg. The aim of this project is the develop methods that allow higher levels of vaccine virus to grow in eggs. We will take a multi-pronged approach to enhancing influenza vaccine production that are directed toward increasing the capacity of eggs to promote virus replication, as well as towards the vaccine strain to boost its ability to replicate in the egg. The outcome will be an enhanced capacity for vaccine manufacturers to quickly and effectively expand vaccine supplies which will directly impact on global morbidity and mortality during a flu pandemic.Read moreRead less