Research Theme

• Research and Development of Pandemic Influenza Vaccine

Keyword

• Pandemic influenza
• Inactivated Intact Virus Particle Vaccine

Overview of Research

• The aim of the present study is to develop pre-pandemic influenza vaccines of global standard in Japan as the preparedness for future pandemics in the world.
• Virus strains that may cause pandemic influenza in the future are selected from the Hokkaido University Influenza Virus Library, and procedure of vaccine manufacturing such as conditions of cultivation, inactivation and purification of candidate viruses shall be established. After that, inactivated intact virus particle vaccines shall be prepared as pre-pandemic model vaccines of which effectiveness and safety are ensured.
• Especially it is seriously concerned that H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses spread all over the world due to misuse of vaccine to poultry in a few countries. Misuse of avian influenza vaccine led to silent spread of the H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses because of the failure to detect and cull inapparently infected poultry birds. At present, the H5N1 virus has been entrenched in the nesting lakes of migratory ducks in the northern regions, especially in Siberia. The migratory ducks carry and spread the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus to poultry and wild birds all over the world. Therefore, it is concerned if pigs are coinfected with avian H5 viruses and seasonal human influenza H1N1 or H3N2 viruses and produce genetic reassortants, resulting in the production of pandemic influenza viruses. The objective of the present study is to develop H5 influenza virus vaccines to counteract pandemic influenza caused by the reassortant virus with dangerous H5 HA with furin-cleavage site is inserted.