Can a cream help a flu vaccine work better? In a phase 1 clinical trial, researchers from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, are testing whether imiquimod cream—commonly used to treat genital warts and some skin cancers—can boost the immune response to an H5N1 flu vaccine. Studies have shown imiquimod generates significantly more robust immune responses.
Participants in the Vaccine and Treatment Evaluation Units trial will be given 2 intradermal doses of an H5N1 vaccine, 21 days apart. In one group, participants will have Aldara (imiquimod cream) applied to their upper arm before each vaccination; in the control group, a placebo cream will be applied.
Participants will return at regular intervals over 7 months to have blood drawn; they also will keep diaries to record symptoms.
The first participant was vaccinated in June. Early results are expected by the end of the year.