Sign in Subscribe
Avian influenza

Novel Vaccine Approach to Protect Against Pandemic Influenza

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

A novel vaccination approach to protect against pandemic influenza, developed by Antigen Express, a subsidiary of Generex Biotechnology Corporation, has been announced. The company's Chief Scientific Officer, Dr. Robert Humphreys, will make a presentation at the 3rd annual "Vaccines - All Things Considered" scientific symposium in Washington, D.C. The vaccine, which uses Ii-Key/MHC class II epitope hybrid peptides, has shown promising results in mouse studies, increasing interferon-gamma responses by 8 to 10 times versus epitope-only peptide. The vaccine is designed to enhance the strength and duration of a virus-neutralizing antibody response and is being developed for the pandemic Asian bird flu (H5N1 strain).

Key Takeaways:

  • The vaccine uses Ii-Key/MHC class II epitope hybrid peptides to enhance the strength and duration of a virus-neutralizing antibody response.
  • Mouse studies have shown an 8 to 10-fold increase in interferon-gamma responses versus epitope-only peptide.
  • The vaccine is designed to be a low-dose, low-frequency prime-boost vaccination protocol to prime for recombinant H5-elicited, neutralizing antibodies.
  • Preliminary results indicate that H5 Ii-Key hybrid peptides enhance CD4+ T helper cell responses on their own and antibody responses following recombinant HA protein immunization (rHA).
  • The focus of ongoing experiments is to identify a potent vaccine against pandemic H5N1 influenza for clinical testing.
  • Antigen Express is developing a vaccine for pandemic Asian bird flu (H5N1 strain) based on H5 MHC class II epitopes.
  • Ii-Key/MHC class II epitope hybrid peptides contain an immunoregulatory segment of the Ii protein (the Ii-Key moiety), which increases the potency of epitope presentation up to 200 times in vitro.
  • Antigen Express scientists have synthesized a series of hybrid vaccine peptides linking the immunoregulatory Ii-Key moiety to influenza H5 HA HLA class II epitopes.

Statistics:

  • In mouse studies, interferon-gamma responses to Ii-Key/hybrids are increased 8 to 10 times versus epitope-only peptide.
  • 12-fold higher amount of vaccine needed to generate neutralizing antibody responses is reported for inactivated H5N1 viral and baculovirus-expressed H5 hemagglutinin (HA) protein vaccines.
  • Approximately 5% of the US population and no one in developing countries will have access to traditional or cell-culture manufactured H5N1 influenza vaccine.

Sources:

  • Generex Biotechnology Corporation (MARKET WIRE via COMTEX)
  • "Vaccines - All Things Considered" scientific symposium (organizers)
  • Antigen Express (company press release)
  • Generex website (www.generex.com)

Read more