as we time goes by

As we time goes by, tucked away in a bright safe secure Lab in the outer suburbs of Melbourne a very significant experiment is nearing its conclusion.

This experiment is going to put Australias Vetinary biotechnology industry on the global map.

Imagine a vaccine for poultry h5n1 which can be administered via drinking water.

Imagine capturing the global broiler, layer and breeding markets in one foul swoop!

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Imugene’s trial vaccine utilises the Adenoviral Delivery Vector platform technology to deliver the necessary genetic material to stimulate the birds' immune responses against the Bird Flu virus. Through the delivery of a very small portion of the flu genetic material to poultry the immune system is stimulated. An immune response is triggered and protection is then provided from the flu virus. The safety advantage is a result of only a very small portion of the genetic composition of the Bird Flu virus being used. This vaccine technique is far safer than live or killed attenuated vaccines as the risk of recombination with the wild type virus or human influenza strains is virtually eliminated.

Compounding the problem with the existing live vaccines is that during an avian influenza outbreak, diagnostic tests cannot distinguish vaccinated (uninfected) birds from those affected by the disease. As Imugene’s vaccine delivers only a portion of the flu genetic material, instead of the whole virus, it is possible to distinguish between vaccinated and infected birds. This translates into the major benefit of allowing countries to undertake a vaccination program to protect whole areas or countries whilst still maintaining surveillance for disease outbreaks and ensuring human safety. As the vaccinated birds can be differentiated from infected birds, export markets are safely protected.

Viability
The trial vaccine enjoys the advantages of the Adenoviral Delivery Vector and therefore is cost effective to administer on a mass scale, via water to poultry.