University of Minnesota
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Milestone
5.1.e

Ferret model refinement

In progress
High priority

Develop comparative vaccine studies using the high-risk ferret model to inform predictions of vaccine responses in high-risk human populations.

Progress Highlights

Tseng 2026 synthesized data from ferret challenge trials to evaluate whether licensed seasonal influenza vaccines confer cross-protection against lethal H5N1 infection; results showed that seasonal influenza vaccines significantly reduce H5N1-associated mortality in ferret trials, suggesting the cross-protection potential of currently available vaccines.

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NIAID established research projects [(PAR-19-247 (R21) and PAR-19-248 (R01)] to improve the predictive value of animal models, including ferret models, for evaluating novel universal influenza vaccines.
 

Sutton 2022 evaluated sequential rounds of airborne transmission as an approach to enhance the predictive accuracy of the ferret model.

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Knoll 2024 used a diet-induced obesity ferret model and the A/Hong Kong/1073/1999 (H9N2) strain to evaluate the impact of host obesity on viral genetic variation and adaptation. Results suggested that host obesity may result in a unique selective environment affecting intrahost IAV evolution.

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Meliopoulos 2023 use a novel diet-induced obese ferret model to demonstrate that obesity resulted in significant changes to the lung microenvironment leading to increased clinical disease and viral spread to the lower respiratory tract.

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Thakur 2023 summarizes copathogenesis studies using ferrets as a model system for investigating influenza virus-bacteria interactions.

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