Emerging vaccines for influenza.
BACKGROUND
Influenza remains one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The available vaccines are least effective in the populations at greatest risk--children, the elderly, and the immunocompromised. Furthermore, avian influenza and other novel strains have the potential to cause the next influenza pandemic. Research efforts have accelerated worldwide to develop new vaccines to provide better immunity against annual epidemics and a potential pandemic.


OBJECTIVE
To summarize the global research efforts at developing new influenza vaccines, adjuvants, and delivery devices.


METHODS
MEDLINE and Pharmaprojects databases were searched for publications and continuing research on new influenza vaccine technologies.


CONCLUSIONS
Technologies such as DNA vaccines, live recombinant viral vector vaccines, and virus-like particles have shown significant promise for immunogenicity and protection from experimental challenge to influenza. New modalities for vaccine delivery and methods for rapid vaccine production are also being investigated. With the possibility of an influenza pandemic increasing the need to develop new vaccines, the global research community has made large strides to meet this challenge.
Tosh
Pritish K
PK
Mayo Clinic Vaccine Research Group, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, Minnesota 55905, USA.
Poland
Gregory A
GA
D000818:Animals; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000517:prevention & control; D015507:Drugs, Investigational / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D007252:Influenza Vaccines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control
D015507:Drugs, Investigational; D007252:Influenza Vaccines