Submission + - New method for creating Flu vaccine - use cows. (irishtimes.com)
VShael writes: For those who don't like needles, we may soon have an alternative to the annual flu jab.
Immuron, an Australian company, has two anti-diarrhoea products on the market already, and they are soon to add a third. All three products are based on bovine anti-bodies, produced in cow's milk after the animals have been inoculated with a virus.
It is expected that the spray, called Flubody, will be launched within 18 months, according to Oren Fuerst, spokesman for Immuron, the Australian company developing it. Scientists at Immuron say Flubody acts immediately and could even stop the disease in its tracks.
"It is applied directly to the respiratory mucosa (the lining of the respiratory tract), where it can prevent infection of cells by the virus. And, perhaps more importantly, it can stop an active infection from spreading from cell to cell, thereby stopping the progress of disease," according to Fuerst.
This process is 100 times cheaper than current vaccine production methods that involve cloned and highly purified monoclonal antibodies, he says.
A single 50 microgram dose reduced the level of infection a hundredfold compared to untreated mice. But a 1,000 microgram dose completely cleared the virus in all animals treated, he indicates.
Immuron, an Australian company, has two anti-diarrhoea products on the market already, and they are soon to add a third. All three products are based on bovine anti-bodies, produced in cow's milk after the animals have been inoculated with a virus.
It is expected that the spray, called Flubody, will be launched within 18 months, according to Oren Fuerst, spokesman for Immuron, the Australian company developing it. Scientists at Immuron say Flubody acts immediately and could even stop the disease in its tracks.
"It is applied directly to the respiratory mucosa (the lining of the respiratory tract), where it can prevent infection of cells by the virus. And, perhaps more importantly, it can stop an active infection from spreading from cell to cell, thereby stopping the progress of disease," according to Fuerst.
This process is 100 times cheaper than current vaccine production methods that involve cloned and highly purified monoclonal antibodies, he says.
A single 50 microgram dose reduced the level of infection a hundredfold compared to untreated mice. But a 1,000 microgram dose completely cleared the virus in all animals treated, he indicates.
