Re: HHS cancels Moderna H5 influenza vaccine

RonO wrote:

https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/avian-influenza-bird-flu/hhs-cancels-funding-moderna-s-candidate-h5-avian-flu-and-pandemic-vaccines   This seems stupid since mRNA vaccines would be the fastest way to respond to H5N1 if it ever does make the jump to human infection.  They would need an H5 vaccine that would produce antibodies that could neutralize the virus.  They already know that the virus has changed a lot in the dairy herd, and they had to make a synthetic antigen with the H5 genotype B3.13 sequence found in the Missouri patient in order to look for neutralizing antibodies.  They did initial testing on the Texas B3.13 dairy virus and it was neutralized by antibodies produced by H5 vaccine strains that the CDC had, but that obviously changed by the time the Missouri patient was infected.  In the case of the D1.1 genotype that infected humans they didn't even try to test existing H5 vaccine strains against it.  The D1.1 H5 sequence is very different from the B3.13 sequence.
 This just means that they need to make a vaccine to the virus that might make the jump to humans.  Apparently Moderna had a working vaccine, and had gotten more funding to work it up, but that has been canceled.  For mRNA vaccines you can make the antigen any sequence that you want it to be.  It is the basis for making updated mRNA vaccines for Covid, and would be expected to work for influenza.  The H5 vaccine that the CDC stockpiled is likely worthless against many of the variants currently infecting cattle and dairy and poultry workers.
 Ron Okimoto
 

Worm-brain Kennedy Jr. is a known anti-vaxxer, and mRNA vaccines hold a special place in his list of things to eliminate from health care. He's criminally stupid and he's going to get lots of people killed.
Chris
They have Project 2025. We need Project 1792.