Bird Flu Vaccine Trial Launches To Prepare For Potential Pandemic
Researchers have delivered the UK’s first dose in a new trial using an investigational mRNA vaccine to protect people against potential influenza pandemics such as avian flu (also known as ‘bird flu’).
The research will assess the safety and immune response of an investigational mRNA-based A(H5) pandemic influenza vaccine candidate, mRNA-1018, commonly circulating in birds, with pandemic potential.
The study is supported by NIHR and sponsored by Moderna. It is part of its UK government strategic partnership, managed by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).
This large-scale, phase 3 trial will involve around 4,000 adult volunteers aged 18 and over in the UK and USA. 3,000 patients (75%) recruited will be in the UK.
Bird flu is currently transmitted between affected birds and various mammals. Whilst the virus does not easily spread to humans, and transmission between people is very rare, there is a risk that the virus could adapt. This could make it more transmissible to or between humans.
This study aims to provide crucial evidence on whether the investigational vaccine can generate strong immune responses to protect against currently circulating and emerging strains of H5N1. This will help the UK prepare for future pandemics and apply system-wide learnings from COVID-19.
There will be 26 sites across the UK administering the vaccine. In line with the government’s hospital-to-community shift, the study is being delivered at various community clinics across England and Scotland.
Dr Rebecca Clark, the trial’s National Co-ordinating Investigator based at Layton Medical Centre, Blackpool said: “We know that the A(H5N1) strain is evolving and spreading across animal species, and though it does not yet move easily between humans, we have to treat human-to-human transmission as a real possibility. This trial is our proactive attempt to shield against that possibility, and any future pandemic that could emerge from it.
“With recruitment sites across the country, we have shifted from traditional hospital settings into the heart of our communities, helping ensure the research can be carried out across a range of locations and populations.
“This work is an important part of strengthening our understanding of how we can respond to emerging public health threats and improve pandemic preparedness for the future.”
Professor Lucy Chappell, Chief Scientific Adviser at the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and Chief Executive Officer of the NIHR said: “This important trial is a testament to the power of the UK’s strategic partnership with Moderna. By combining world-leading technology with the UK’s unparalleled research infrastructure, we are bolstering our pandemic resilience.
“Central to this effort is the NIHR’s Be Part of Research registry, which offers people a quick and easy way of taking part in some of the UK’s most exciting research. With over 700,000 people signed up so far, it is a key pillar of the UK’s research landscape.
“This trial proves that when the public, the government, and industry collaborate through the NIHR, we can accelerate the journey from laboratory to clinic – protecting public health both in the UK and across the world.”
