Institute for Vaccine Research
"A vaccine that would provide cross protection against multiple flu strains could help save lives in a pandemic outbreak."—IVR Director Clifford M. Snapper, M.D.
Recent shortfalls in flu vaccines, along with the worldwide concern about the avian flu, highlight shortcomings in our current vaccine capabilities. Scientists at the Institute for Vaccine Research (IVR) at USU, led by Clifford M. Snapper, M.D., are working to improve current vaccine technologies. They take a basic immunologic perspective, looking for clinical applications that derive from basic immunologic insights.
Snapper and his team are trying to increase the potency of current vaccines designed to stimulate antibody production. They are doing this through a variety of adjuvanting and immune cell targeting strategies. If they're successful, the amount of vaccine necessary per immunization and the number of immunizations could be reduced. Additionally, they could induce higher protective antibody titers.
Vaccine Strategies for Pandemic Flu
Researchers at IVR, along with a team of private collaborators, are working to develop a vaccine that would provide cross protection against multiple flu strains. A multi-protective vaccine, which has, to date, eluded scientists, could save countless lives in a massive outbreak.
Snapper and his collaborators are taking a novel approach to this situation, targeting proteins common in any flu virus. The typical approach is to focus on the antigen, which would be unique depending on the strain of influenza. These common proteins remain stable over time, and so provide the best hope for cross protection.
Increasing the body's immune response to the proteins is key to this approach. If researchers can stimulate enough antibody protection against the proteins, the vaccine could provide sufficient protection to save lives in a pandemic.
Another research focus is conjugate vaccines, which allow for effective immunization in infants. IVR may have identified a new carrier for conjugates, which could be used to deliver more powerful signals to the B cell. This could increase the potency of the conjugate vaccine—a major goal of the program.