Treanor oversaw the study of 451 healthy adults ages 18 to 64, which was conducted at three sites nationally: Rochester, the University of Maryland, and the University of California at Los Angeles. Results appeared in the March 30 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. "These findings represent an important step forward in the nation's efforts to prepare for the possible emergence of a human pandemic of H5N1 avian influenza," says Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID), the federal agency leading the effort to create a vaccine against bird flu. "We are working hard to address the many challenges that remain with regard to the development of an H5N1 vaccine." The dose that was most effective, two shots of 90 micrograms each, is several times larger than the conventional flu shot given each year. Such a large dose, experts say, would be difficult to produce for a significant portion of the world's population using conventional manufacturing methods. So researchers are turning their attention to ways to extend the vaccine. In one approach taking place at Rochester and several other sites, 1,200 people are taking part in a study testing the use of an adjuvant, a substance designed to enhance the response of the immune system. The vaccine will be given with alum, a vaccine additive that has been used in commercial vaccines for decades to make them more effective, in two studies involving 600 participants each. If alum is effective, researchers ultimately would be able to reduce the amount of vaccine given to each person, thus making the vaccine available to more people. Currently Treanor's Rochester team is involved in five studies to learn more about bird flu and test a vaccine against it. The studies are funded by NIAID and are being done largely through its VTEU network, which supports the government in its efforts to respond to infectious threats and protect the health of the nation's citizens. To learn more about Rochester's role in bird flu vaccine studies, visit www.urmc.rochester.edu/ pr/current_research/bird_flu/index.cfm.
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Bird flu: Rochester study is ‘step forward’
esults from the largest bird flu vaccine study suggest that while the experimental vaccine is safe, larger-than-average doses are needed to spur an immune response. "For whatever reason, the H5N1 strain of avian flu just does not stimulate the immune system as much as the regular flu does," says lead investigator John Treanor, professor of medicine and director of Rochester's Vaccine and Treat¬ment Evaluation Unit.
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