Duke Health leads its first clinical trial testing a new universal flu vaccine

Duke Health is leading its first clinical trial under a large federal initiative to develop a new-generation flu vaccine. The phase 1 clinical trial, which launched last month, is testing the safety of a vaccine candidate devised under the Collaborative Influenza Vaccine Innovation Centers (CIVICs) program. CIVICs is a multi-million-dollar investment by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, to develop a modern vaccine that provides longer and broader protection against both seasonal and pandemic influenza viruses. The Duke Human Vaccine Institute (DHVI) has several large contracts under the CIVICs program, including contracts to manufacture vaccine candidates and lead clinical trials. Emmanuel “Chip” Walter, M.D., chief medical officer and director of the Duke Vaccine and Trials Unit at DHVI, is the principal investigator leading the clinical trials. “During the course of a flu season, the influenza virus drifts, undergoing small, but significant changes that...