Bird flu
Argentine company develops mRNA bird flu vaccine
mRNA technology has contributed to the development of corona vaccines at record speed (archive image) Photo
© Sven Hoppe/dpa
During the coronavirus pandemic, mRNA technology helped develop vaccines at record speed. Now it is expected to help with a new threat.
To develop a vaccine against The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched a project in Argentina to combat bird flu in poorer countries. It involves a vaccine against the H5N1 virus based on mRNA technology, which helped develop vaccines in record time during the coronavirus pandemic.
The Argentinian manufacturer Sinergium Biotech already has a vaccine candidate that will now be further developed with the support of the WHO and the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) organization. The company wants to demonstrate the effectiveness of its vaccine candidate in preclinical models.
The aim of MPP is to provide people in low- and middle-income countries with access to high-quality and affordable medicines. Three years ago, at the height of the coronavirus pandemic, WHO and MPP developed an mRNA transfer program to promote research capacity in low- and middle-income countries.
Pandemic threat from bird flu virus
“Avian influenza viruses pose a significant risk to public health because they are widely distributed among animals and have the potential to cause a pandemic,” the WHO said.
The H5N1 virus has spread worldwide. Wild and farm animals are affected, including recently cows. So far, most infected people have been in close contact with animals. According to current knowledge, there is no ongoing human-to-human transmission. The concern, however, is that the virus continues to change and adapt in mammals.