Polyvalent Vaccines to Protect Poultry from Avian Influenza

Medigen successfully designed and tested a conceptually novel VLP design as a vaccine for avian influenza (AI). This vaccine isnot dependent on egg production and allows protection against multiple AI viruses by using a single preparation of VLP vaccine. For example, we demonstrated that co-expression of H5, H7, and H9 HA proteins along with other influenza proteins resulted in a triple-HA H5/H7/H9 VLP that contained HA proteins derived from three distinct AI viruses. We showed that such triple-HA VLPs without adjuvant elicited protection of laboratory animals (ferrets) against multiple AI strains, when administered through the respiratory route. Here we propose immunogenicity and efficacy testing of triple-HA VLPs in poultry species as a broadly protectiveAI vaccine. Protection against multiple AI challenges will be tested in HPAI and LPAI models including multiple strains of H5N1 virus. If successful, this technology may allow rapid preparation of cost-effective and highly effective polyvalent poultry vaccines against AI.