A Phase 1 trial is underway for a new nasal flu vaccination designed for ages 9 to 17 years old.
Testing is taking place at Saint Louis University, with support from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). Unlike traditional flu vaccines, which must be reformulated each year and may not match the strain that emerges, the experimental vaccine could still provide protection even if its components do not exactly match the strains against which it is being applied.
The vaccine was developed by FluGen, Inc. of Wisconsin, from a strain of seasonal influenza virus and, as a precaution, has been designed to replicate just once in the body. This keeps it from causing disease but still prompts an immune response as if it had. In Phase 1 testing of the vaccine, adult participants showed healthy responses to it. A Phase 2 trial in healthy adults is also underway, though not supported by NIAID.
This trial will enroll 50 participants. Half will be given the vaccine, and half will be given a placebo. After three months, all volunteers will be given an injection of a licensed, seasonal influenza vaccine.