BPL-1357 Universal Flu Vaccine Description
BPL-1357 is a whole virus influenza vaccine candidate made up of four strains of non-infectious, chemically inactivated, low-pathogenicity avian flu virus. The vaccine candidate was developed by researchers at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the U.S. NIH.
BPL-1357 was studied in mice in September 2021 that showed that all mice receiving two doses of the BPL-1357 vaccine delivered either intramuscularly or intranasally survived later exposure to lethal doses of each of six different influenza virus strains, including subtypes that were not included in the vaccine. Similar results were obtained in challenge experiments with BPL-1357-vaccinated ferrets.
“With the BPL-1357 vaccine, especially when given intranasally, we are attempting to induce a comprehensive immune response that closely mimics immunity gained following a natural influenza infection,” stated Matthew J. Memoli, M.D., on June 28, 2022. “This is very different than nearly all other vaccines for influenza or other respiratory viruses, which focus on inducing immunity to a single viral antigen and often do not induce mucosal immunity.”
The NIAID conducts and supports research at the NIH, throughout the USA, and worldwide.
BPL-1357 Clinical Trial
A Phase 1 trial has begun at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. The placebo-controlled trial will test the safety of a candidate vaccine, BPL-1357, and its ability to prompt immune responses. Last Update Posted: August 5, 2022.
Volunteers will be randomized in a 1:1:1 ratio into three groups and receive two doses of placebo or vaccine spaced 28 days apart. Group A participants receive BPL-1357 intramuscularly along with an intranasal saline placebo; Group B will receive doses of the candidate vaccine intranasally along with an intramuscular placebo; volunteers in Group C receive intramuscularly and intranasally delivered placebo at both visits to the clinic. Neither the study clinicians nor the volunteers know the group assignments. Volunteers must not have received any type of flu vaccination eight weeks before enrollment. In addition, they must agree to forego seasonal flu vaccination for approximately two months after the second vaccine (or placebo) dose.
The study duration for each participant is approximately seven months. In addition to the two clinic visits to receive a vaccine (or placebo), volunteers will be asked to return to the clinic seven times to provide blood and nasal mucosal samples used by the investigators to detect and characterize immune responses.
BPL-1357 News
August 5, 2022 - The U.S. CDC posted its Weekly U.S. Influenza Surveillance Report - 2021-2022 Influenza Season for Week 30, ending July 30, 2022. Additional information on the current and previous influenza seasons for each surveillance component are available on FluView Interactive.
June 28, 2022 - “Influenza vaccines that can provide long-lasting protection against a wide range of seasonal influenza viruses, as well as those with pandemic potential, would be invaluable public health tools,” said NIAID Director Anthony S. Fauci, M.D. “The scientific community is making progress on this pressing global health priority. The BPL-1357 candidate influenza vaccine being tested in this clinical trial performed very well in pre-clinical studies, and we look forward to learning how it performs in people.”
April 11, 2022 - Researchers at the NIH are studying a new influenza vaccine that may protect against different flu strains. The study aims to learn more about the safety of this flu vaccine.
