WHO launches new initiative to develop mRNA vaccines for bird flu

The Global Health Organization declared on Monday the commencement of a program to hasten the production of a human bird flu vaccine utilizing messenger RNA (mRNA) technology.

The endeavor, spearheaded by Argentinian pharmaceutical firm Sinergium Biotech, aims to pinpoint potential vaccines for manufacturers in economies with low to mid-level income as stated by the Global Health Organization.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has previously stated that the danger of bird flu, also recognized as avian influenza, to the general populace is minimal and there is currently no proof of human-to-human transmission. Federal health officials have also arranged millions of vials of a non-mRNA bird flu vaccine as a precautionary measure, in the event it becomes necessary.

mRNA technology is the same kind that was utilized in the creation of COVID vaccines. Most vaccines employ a weakened or inactive virus to provoke an immune response, but mRNA vaccines instruct the body on how to create proteins that can trigger an immune response and combat an infection.

Researchers can frequently devise mRNA vaccines more promptly than they can manufacture the live or weakened pathogens necessary for a traditional vaccine.

The program is a component of the Global Health Organization’s mRNA Technology Transfer Program, which aims to enhance the capability in economies with low to mid-level income to manufacture mRNA vaccines.

Sinergium Biotech has already formulated possible vaccines for H5N1, based on information from the Global Health Organization. The company intends to conduct proof-of-concept research to determine whether further study of the product is warranted based on its effectiveness.

Should the proof-of-concept research yield positive results, Sinergium has indicated plans to share the “technology, materials, and expertise” with other manufacturing collaborators so they can independently develop the vaccine.

“This initiative illustrates the reason why the Global Health Organization established the mRNA Technology Transfer Program — to encourage more research, development, and production in economies with low to mid-level income, ensuring that when the next pandemic emerges, the world will be better equipped to mount a more effective and fairer response,” stated Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the Global Health Organization, in a release.

The Global Health Organization asserts that avian influenza viruses pose a “substantial public health hazard” due to their widespread dissemination among animals and their potential to spark a future pandemic. Nevertheless, the global health agency has pointed out that its readiness efforts exemplify a proactive approach by enhancing access to vaccines.

In the United States, there have been 13 human cases of bird flu since April of this year, according to an update last week from the CDC. All the human patients either came into contact with sick dairy cows or infected poultry, according to the CDC.

The U.S. government has also granted Moderna $176 million to develop and test an mRNA vaccine that could be used for bird flu, Reuters reported in early July.