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<CENTER>Flu trial volunteers wanted
</CENTER>A company is recruiting volunteers for a trial to test a new flu vaccine.
PowderMed, based at Oxford Science Park, says that if the trial is successful, the new injection, using the genetic material DNA, could also be used to fight bird flu.
PowderMed's chief medical officer, Dr John Beadle said: "This trial is unique because it will be the first to assess the ability of our DNA vaccine to protect human volunteers against flu. What we are looking for are people willing to be vaccinated and then later challenged with a flu virus.
"Some volunteers may get a mild form of flu, but our previous data suggests that those who are vaccinated may be protected."
This trial is one of three being conducted by PowderMed, using a needle-free system to deliver microscopic gold particles coated with DNA into the immune cells of the skin. Last month, PowderMed started a bird flu trial.
The latest trial is at Guys Drug Research Unit, Quintiles UK, in London. Dr Tim Mant, of Guys, said: "Flu is debilitating for many and life threatening for some - it is a major public health issue and we feel it is important to contribute to knowledge about potential new vaccines."
Later in the trial the volunteers will be given ten days' free accommodation, where they will be challenged with an enfeebled version of the H3N2 strain of the virus which is known to cause flu in non-immunised people.
Go to www.clinicaltrials.gov for more details. Anyone interested, aged between 18 and 50, should contact Quintiles at Guys Drugs Research Unit on 0800 634 1130.
</CENTER>A company is recruiting volunteers for a trial to test a new flu vaccine.
PowderMed, based at Oxford Science Park, says that if the trial is successful, the new injection, using the genetic material DNA, could also be used to fight bird flu.
PowderMed's chief medical officer, Dr John Beadle said: "This trial is unique because it will be the first to assess the ability of our DNA vaccine to protect human volunteers against flu. What we are looking for are people willing to be vaccinated and then later challenged with a flu virus.
"Some volunteers may get a mild form of flu, but our previous data suggests that those who are vaccinated may be protected."
This trial is one of three being conducted by PowderMed, using a needle-free system to deliver microscopic gold particles coated with DNA into the immune cells of the skin. Last month, PowderMed started a bird flu trial.
The latest trial is at Guys Drug Research Unit, Quintiles UK, in London. Dr Tim Mant, of Guys, said: "Flu is debilitating for many and life threatening for some - it is a major public health issue and we feel it is important to contribute to knowledge about potential new vaccines."
Later in the trial the volunteers will be given ten days' free accommodation, where they will be challenged with an enfeebled version of the H3N2 strain of the virus which is known to cause flu in non-immunised people.
Go to www.clinicaltrials.gov for more details. Anyone interested, aged between 18 and 50, should contact Quintiles at Guys Drugs Research Unit on 0800 634 1130.