The US Department of Health (HHS) announced on Friday January 17 that it would grant approximately 590 million in funding to the Moderna laboratory to develop messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines against influenza pandemics, amid fears around the avian flu is increasing.
This funding aims to“enhance the capabilities of mRNA technology so that the United States is better prepared to respond to other emerging infectious diseases”said the Ministry of Health in a press release. “This funding allows Moderna to accelerate the development of an influenza vaccine (against the virus) H5N1 with mRNA which corresponds well to the strains currently circulating in cows and birds”added the HSS.
“Staying one step ahead”
“Accelerating the development of new vaccines will help us stay ahead of the curve and ensure Americans have the tools they need to stay safe”commented the outgoing Minister of Health, Xavier Becerra, quoted in the press release. “Bird flu variants have proven particularly unpredictable and dangerous to humans in the past”he also underlined.
-Moderna, particularly known for its vaccines against Covid-19, specified in another press release that this agreement will allow “to extend clinical studies (from the laboratory) to five subtypes of pandemic influenza”. The US government had already announced on Thursday new funding of $211 million to a consortium comprising private and public laboratories to develop messenger RNA vaccines against emerging diseases, with the aim of accelerating testing on avian flu.
Health
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