The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) announced that the Duke Human Vaccine Institute (DHVI) has initiated enrollment of volunteers for a clinical trial of a universal influenza vaccine developed by NIAID’s Vaccine Research Center. DHVI is one of two Clinical Cores for the Collaborative Influenza Vaccine Innovation Centers (CIVICs) program and is led by Principal Investigator Dr. Emmanuel (Chip) Walter. Through this trial, the Duke CIVICs Clinical Core is committed to advancing safe and promising innovations in influenza vaccine design through their clinical pipeline.
The candidate vaccine harnesses mRNA technology to target the stem of the influenza hemagglutinin (HA) protein to induce a more broadly protective and longer lasting immune response in comparison to seasonal influenza vaccines. The Phase 1 trial will assess the safety and immunogenicity of the investigational vaccine, identified as H1ssF-3928 mRNA-LNP, compared to the quadrivalent vaccine currently on the market. This early-stage trial marks the first investigational universal influenza vaccine product to be clinically tested in the CIVICs program after manufacturing by the Duke CIVICs Vaccine Manufacturing and Toxicology Core.