The World Health Organization (WHO) announced a new project to advance the development of an mRNA vaccine targeting human avian influenza (H5N1).
The initiative is led by Argentinian manufacturer Sinergium Biotech, which will utilize the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) mRNA Technology Transfer Programme.
“This initiative exemplifies why WHO established the mRNA Technology Transfer Programme – to foster greater research, development and production in low- and middle-income countries, so that when the next pandemic arrives, the world will be better prepared to mount a more effective and more equitable response,” WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement.
Sinergium Biotech has designed an H5N1 vaccine candidate and “aims to establish proof-of-concept in preclinical models,” the WHO said. After the preclinical data is concluded, the information will be “shared with other manufacturing partners, aiding the acceleration of the development of H5N1 vaccine candidates, and bolstering pandemic preparedness efforts.”
The announcement follows the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) releasing a pandemic influenza preparedness and response strategy last month.
The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) has developed several objectives for the strategy: implementation and deployment of the U.S. National Pre-pandemic Influenza Vaccine Stockpile (NPIVS), novel vaccine development, early availability of novel vaccines, and rapid diagnostic tools.
According to the strategy’s introduction, “Spillover to multiple distinct mammalian species has been detected worldwide, including outbreaks in marine mammals (e.g., sea lions, seals, dolphins) and farmed mink in which mammal-to-mammal A(H5N1) virus transmission may have occurred. Most recently, spillover was detected in U.S. dairy cattle in February 2024.”
Last week, the HHS secretary issued a notice stating that there is a “significant potential for a public health emergency that has a significant potential to affect national security or the health and security of United States citizens living abroad and that involves biological agents, namely pandemic influenza A viruses and influenza A viruses with pandemic potential.”
Several of the viruses listed in the notice include A/H1N1, H7N9, and H5N1.
The Biden administration recently announced a $176 million dollar partnership with Moderna to develop a new mRNA flu vaccine in preparation for “future public health crises.”
“This award aids Moderna in ensuring the establishment of additional pandemic influenza vaccine response capability,” a press release reads. “These efforts will leverage existing U.S. domestic large-scale commercial mRNA-based manufacturing platforms and ongoing seasonal influenza vaccine development.”
