Protective efficacy of a polyvalent influenza A DNA vaccine against both homologous (H1N1pdm09) and heterologous (H5N1) challenge in the ferret model

This study describes the protective efficacy of a novel influenza plasmid DNA vaccine in ferret challenge model. The rationally designed polyvalent encodes haemagglutinin and neuraminidase proteins derived from less glycosylated pandemic H1N1 (2009) H3N2 (1968) virus strains as well nucleoprotein (NP) matrix (M1 M2) different (1918) strain. Needle-free intradermal immunisation with protected ferrets against homologous an H1N1pdm09 strain, demonstrated by restriction viral replication to upper respiratory tract reduced duration shedding post-challenge. Breadth protection was two heterologous experiments which animals immunised were highly pathogenic avian H5N1 strain reproducible survival clinical outcomes.