Mucosal vaccine for influenza on inactivated virus and mannan

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Influenza is a respiratory disease that causes significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. Current influenza vaccines are a preparation of three currently circulating inactivated influenza strains that induces an antibody response that can combat the virus and therefore infection. Despite the availability of a vaccine new approaches are needed to increase the activity, usage and distribution. To this end several approaches based on using additional agents to increase the immunogenicity and needle free delivery are being explored. We have a natural sugar based compound that can be used to increase the body's immunity to cancers and infectious agents such as bacteria and viruses. When these preparations are applied into the nostril of mice they generate antibody responses to the infectious agent in the lungs, gut, tears, saliva that can act as a barrier to infectious agents. We are incorporating an inactive flu virus with this natural sugar to investigate if it produces antibody that can protect mice and ferrets from the flu virus. This method will be first tried with the human flu virus and if successful will be tried with the bird flu virus. If the preparation can protect mice and ferrets from human or bird flu infection it could develop into a human vaccine against bird flu. Since it can be administered by the nose it will be widely used and can be used readily without qualified personnel in the case of a pandemic.