A Seattle organization devoted to infectious diseases, the Access to Advanced Health Institute, is aiming develop an RNA-based nasal flu vaccine with a $9.9 million award from the U.S. government.
The vaccine will be developed against two bird flu viruses that have pandemic potential, H7N9 and H5N1. H5N1 has circulated in birds for decades and is in the headlines for an outbreak at a mink farm, suggesting that it may be capable of transmission between the mammals, a potential step towards human transmissibility.
