We have all been looking for more flu vaccines and the companies seem to not be able to meet the demand, which is big.  Now the FDA is looking at an alternative solution which appears to be gnomically based.  One of the benefits here is the time it takes to manufacture, FluBlok can be made in imagetwo weeks where the one we use now which is made from chicken eggs takes more time.  The government back in June has already provided a grant for it’s production.  This process is using worms, which common sense might just say the supply of worms is faster to produce maybe than eggs. 

Genomics could be the answer to an effective flu vaccine in the future.  For now we have to work with what we have out today and this looks to be another major step with personalized medicine.  BD

WASHINGTON -- A federal advisory panel will meet next week to consider a new type of influenza vaccine that's made without relying on decades-old technology that employs millions of chicken eggs to grow viruses used for flu shots.

Protein Sciences Corp. a private firm based in Meriden, Conn., is seeking Food and Drug Administration approval for its FluBlok seasonal influenza vaccine, although the same technology can be used to make an H1N1 vaccine to protect against the swine flu. The vaccine will be reviewed by outside medical experts who serve on the agency's vaccine advisory panel.

FluBlok is made by taking a gene from a flu virus and inserting it into cells from a virus that infects caterpillars. The cells are put in a stainless-steel fermentation vessel where they multiply for three or four days to produce a protein that can be made into a vaccine designed to fight the flu.

FDA Panel to Consider New Flu Vaccine Technology - WSJ.com

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