Vaccinology for Seasonal Influenza Vaccines

Seasonal influenza vaccinology milestones encompass strategies for improving effectiveness of seasonal influenza vaccines, such as shortening the lag time for seasonal vaccine development; exploring mechanisms that could enhance vaccine effectiveness, such as use of adjuvants or alternate routes of administration; assessing new vaccine platforms (such as mRNA-based); and determining the role of neuraminidase (NA) in optimizing seasonal vaccines.

Milestones completed

Milestones in progress

Milestones not started

Goals

Strategic goal

3.1

Virus-to-vaccine production time

Promote strategies that shorten the lag time from identification of candidate vaccine viruses through the process of annual vaccine production and release.

Milestones

3.1.a

Potency assays

3.1.b

Funding for egg-independent methods

3.1.c

Egg-independent methods

Strategic goal

3.2

Strategies to optimize effectiveness

Identify strategies and policies to optimize seasonal influenza vaccines and improve vaccine effectiveness.

Milestones

3.2.a

Lessons learned from COVID-19

Novel platforms

COVID+flu vaccines

Antigen dose adjustment

3.2.e

Clinical trials for licensed vaccines and adjuvants

3.2.f

High priority

Alternative routes of administration

Strategic goal

3.3

Role of adjuvants

Further assess the role of existing and new adjuvants in creating next-generation seasonal influenza vaccines, informed by recent R&D with adjuvants in new COVID-19 vaccines.

Milestones

3.3.a

High priority

Immune response in the elderly

3.3.b

High priority

Immune response in the very young

Strategic goal

3.4