The U.S. government has awarded $176 million to Moderna to develop an mRNA-based pandemic influenza vaccine against avian influenza.
The company said it hopes to learn lessons from the new coronavirus epidemic and be “better prepared” for future public health crises.
Despite outbreaks in poultry and cattle, avian influenza poses little threat to humans.
But experts want an effective vaccine that can be rolled out quickly to prevent the virus from mutating and becoming a problem.
Using mRNA technology – which the company’s Covid vaccine is also based on – makes the vaccine faster than previous methods.
The U.S. government said adding the technology to its pandemic flu toolkit would enhance its ability to fight the virus “flexibly and quickly.”
Funding from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority will be used to complete the late-stage development and testing of Moderna’s H5N1 avian influenza vaccine.
This strain has been present in birds for many years, but some other animals, including cattle, have been infected in recent outbreaks.
Some believe the virus may one day change and start spreading easily among humans, possibly with serious consequences.
So far, there are no signs that this will happen.
There have been some rare cases of infection After contact with sick animals.
In humans, the virus can cause symptoms ranging from mild illness, such as upper respiratory tract and eye infections, to severe illness, such as pneumonia, which can be fatal, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
Moderna will begin early testing of its mRNA avian flu vaccine in healthy adult volunteers in 2023.
Moderna said it expects results to be released later this year and will inform next steps.
