And if avian flu develops into a pandemic human strain - as many experts fear it may - the vaccine might complement traditional vaccines and be used to protect people. |
I think this adenovirus technology is like the electric car. We all know that sooner or later we will drive an electric car. The technology just isn't quite there yet. But soon we will all be driving one. |
In humans, the H5N1 bird flu takes about two weeks to kill, so there is time for T cells to come out and give protection. |
It takes a little over a month for us to develop a recombinant vector vaccine compared to a minimum of several months via traditional methods. This capacity will be particularly invaluable if the virus begins to mutate rapidly, a phenomenon that often limits the ability of traditional vaccines to contain outbreaks of mutant strains. |
The results of this animal trial are very promising, not only because our vaccine completely protected animals that otherwise would have died, but also because we found that one form of the vaccine stimulates several lines of immunity against H5N1. |