A possible panacea?

Jan. 27, 2006 — The University of Pittsburgh says its researchers have genetically engineered a vaccine that protects mice and chickens from the deadly bird-flu virus that's currently spreading across Asia.

Bird flu, specifically the H5N1 influenza virus, has killed more than 80 people in Asia, and human cases have spread as far west as Turkey.

The virus is based on living viral components, making it more potent than "dead" virus vaccines, the researchers said. The results of their efforts are in the Feb. 15 issue of the Journal of Virology.

"The results of this animal trial are very promising, not only because our vaccine completely protected animals that otherwise would have died, but also because we found that one form of the vaccine stimulates several lines of immunity against H5N1," said Dr. Andrea Gambotto, in a press release issued Thursday.

Protecting humans is quite different from protecting animals, and will require a lot more research, but this is a promising start for researchers attempting to progress toward some form of effective vaccine against the avian flu.