The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, announced on May 4 that is sponsoring a phase 2 trial of a universal flu vaccine, M-001. The trial will test the experimental vaccine for safety and its ability to produce potentially broad protective immune responses, both on its own and when followed by a standard seasonal influenza vaccine. It is being conducted at four U.S. sites that are part of the Vaccine and Treatment Evaluation Units, funded by NIAID.
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“An effective universal influenza vaccine would lessen the public health burden of influenza, alleviate suffering, and save lives,” said NIAID Director Anthony S. Fauci, MD. Such a vaccine would help eliminate the problem of unanticipated seasonal variation in the flu virus mix, which can make the chosen vaccine combination for that season less effective.
The study is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial that will enroll 120 men and nonpregnant women, aged 18-49 years, inclusive, and is designed to assess the safety, reactogenicity, and immunogenicity of two priming doses of M-001 followed by a seasonal quadrivalent inactivated influenza vaccine.
The primary objectives are to assess the safety as measured by vaccine-related adverse events, reactogenicity, and laboratory adverse events; and to assess the T-cell responses to M-001 component peptides.
More information about the study can be found at ClinicalTrials.gov, using the identifier NCT03058692.