European Commission finances 11 new avian flu research projects
The European Commission is assigning Euro 27m to 11 new projects for research on pandemic influenza and avian flu.
The European Commission is assigning Euro 27m to 11 new projects for research on pandemic influenza and avian flu.
The projects selected relate to the development of leading edge diagnostic methods, the search for new drug targets, modelling potential pandemic spread and impact of preventive measures.
One of the projects is concerned with the development of a vaccine in the form of a nasal spray.
The 11 projects were selected by independent experts from a total of 44 submitted in the context of the 7th EU framework programme. The Commission has granted more than €90m to influenza research projects since 2001.
Among the 11 latest projects is FluDrugStrategy, a two-year project to test a new class of antiviral drugs that bind specifically with the influenza A capsid protein. Another project is due to last three years and aims to find a new 'domino' reaction using an organocatalytic approach to synthesise new derivatives of Roche's Tamiflu (oseltamivir) antiviral.
The Fluinhibit project, also scheduled to last three years, will work on discovering small molecule inhibitors that inhibit the trimeric influenza virus polymerase complex. Again with a three-year lifespan, the Naspanvac project aims to develop a vaccine to be administered by nose to control the H5 and H7 subtypes of avian flu that are particularly pathogenic. An adjuvant system with chitosan will be used to boost immune response.
In the diagnostic field, a three-year project called Fluarray aims to develop and validate an automatic diagnostic system to detect influenza virus types and subtypes, while the Portfastflu project is looking to develop and validate a rapid diagnostic system (under one hour) for use in developed and developing countries.
The Commission has also announced that the results of a clinical trial for a vaccine against H7N1 avian flu indicate that it is safe and well tolerated in healthy volunteers. The Phase I trial involving 60 adults was carried out within the framework of the Flupan project - a joint project on which Sanofi-Pasteur is working together with Italian, British and Norwegian scientists.