ADITEC FLU STUDY: Understanding the Genetic Basis for Immune Responses

Infants and young children do not respond as well as adults to the flu vaccines currently available in the UK. Fluad, is a different type of influenza vaccine that has been available in the European continent for the last decade, and contains an adjuvant known as MF59. This vaccine has been used extensively in adults over 65 years of age. It has been administered to over 4000 children in previous studies, which have shown that it produces an enhanced immune response in children compared with traditional vaccines, and that it is safe in this age group. It is, however, not yet licensed for use in children. The reason for this new study is to gain a better understanding of the how this vaccine is stimulating the immune system, by looking to see which parts of the genetic code are 'switched on' in response to immunisation, and to see how this differs from the response to currently used flu vaccines. To do this the Oxford Vaccine Group will enrol children aged 14 to 26 months to receive either the influenza vaccine with the MF59 adjuvant (ATIV) or one of the influenza vaccines currently available in the UK (Agrippal/ Begripal or TIV). The study will also help to find out whether it is possible to identify patterns of genetic response which can predict responses to immunisation. Being able to do so could potentially enable more rapid development of vaccines against influenza and other diseases in the future. We will also measure how well the immune system responds to the two vaccines and look at any side effects. The study is funded by Aditec is a collaborative research programme that aims to accelerate the development of novel and powerful immunisation technologies for the next generation of human vaccines.