The National Institutes of Health aims to create a more protective, longer-lasting flu vaccine through a new program called the Collaborative Influenza Vaccine Innovation Centers.
The program will entail a network of research centers that will collaborate to design new flu shot candidates and delivery platforms. The researchers will also use computer modeling, animal models and human challenge trials to assess human responses to the flu.
The CIVICs program includes the following participants:
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (New York City)
- Duke University (Durham, N.C.)
- University of Georgia (Athens)
- University of Maryland-Baltimore School of Medicine
- Digital Infuzion (Gaithersburg, Md.)
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of NIH, has allocated roughly $51 million to fund the program's first year. Total funding could exceed $130 million over seven years, according to a news release from the University of Georgia.