Avian flu vaccine from insect cells

Scientists experimented with creating an avian flu vaccine in the cells of insects. People can help produce vaccines faster, in large quantities in the event of a pandemic.

The researchers tested a vaccine called FluBIOk , based on a virus (called baculovirus) that could cause insects to disrupt its components.

460 people volunteered to participate in the trials, each receiving a dose of 135 micrograms. As a result, none of them were able to develop three variants of bird flu that were considered the biggest threat in the winter of 2004-2005 that the study was conducted.

Researchers believe that it is better to use insect cells to produce vaccines than eggs. As a result, the production process will be reduced by two months, compared to the current it takes up to six months to provide enough vaccine for the entire United States. They also said that not relying on chicken eggs is reasonable in the case of a pandemic that strongly attacks birds.

In addition, when cultivating the vaccine in eggs, it is necessary to keep the flu virus alive, and it is a threat when exposed to such a dangerous virus.

Another potential advantage of FluBIOk is that unlike other vaccines, it does not have the neuraminidase enzyme. This enzyme allows avian influenza viruses to multiply and spread.

Professor John Oxford, a virus expert at London's Queen Mary College School of Medicine, said other researchers have found similar methods to produce vaccines.

New techniques to create vaccines from insect cells can help produce vaccines faster (Photo: BBC)

He said the other two groups used mammalian cells, another group experimented with plants. He said: 'Chicken eggs have been very successful for the past 40 years. But to provide a large amount of vaccine quickly when a pandemic occurs, you cannot continue to rely on chicken eggs. '

The study, conducted by the University of Rochester, has been published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Scientists believe that a future pandemic of bird flu is inevitable.

The rapid development, production and supply of vaccines will be vital to humanity.

Researcher Professor John Treanor said: 'Producing vaccines from chicken eggs will face many difficulties. When you need hundreds of millions of chicken eggs (fertilized), you will have to face agricultural problems, as well as scientific concerns about avian influenza viruses. Avian influenza virus is always changing, and it's not a simple problem to get a virus you want and transplant it into the eggs. '

Manh Duc