University of Montana awarded $10M flu vaccine contract by NIH

The University of Montana is responsible for the creation of a new universal flu vaccine, under a five-year, $10 million contract awarded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

The award was granted to Jay Evans, director of UM’s Center for Translational Medicine, who will be joined by Hélène Bazin-Lee and David Burkhart, both in the Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, and by investigators from the University of California, San Diego; the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; and biotech company Inimmune Corp.

“Influenza virus infection is a serious public health problem that causes severe illness and death in high-risk populations,” Evans said. “Although vaccination remains the most effective way to prevent this disease, mismatch between vaccine strains and circulating strains can lead to a sharp drop in vaccine effectiveness. In addition, new pandemics emerge at irregular intervals, causing upward of several million deaths – posing very real global threats.”

Evans’ team will work under UM’s Center for Translational Medicine, a research center that connects various colleges and departments to collaborate with faculty, staff and students on a variety of projects.