Grant: Proof of Principle Program - Phase I

Each year, seasonal influenza kills 200,000-500,000 humans, with 20,00-50,000 deaths in the USA and 200,000 hospitalizations. Although the 2009 pandemic H1N1 virus did not cause serious disease in most humans, the next pandemic, which could arise at any moment, could kill millions of humans. There are no drugs approved to treat serious influenza infections. In the last year a Canadian group has generated faithful copies of the antibodies that humans produce to naturally combat influenza virus. They obtained evidence that these antibodies, which can be manufactured in large quantities in a pure form, safe to inject into humans, can neutralize multiple types of influenza viruses, including the avian influenza ("bird flu") virus that causes 60 % deaths in humans it infects. Many experts fear that the next pandemic may arise by a change in bird flu that makes it able to spread easily between humans. This proposal plans to test these Canadian antibodies for their ability to treat infection with bird flu in mice. This proof of principle that these antibodies can be effective in curing bird flu will hopefully attract the investment to fund the clinical development of the best antibody. The best of these antibodies may fill an unmet medical need and successfully treat the hundreds of thousands that die of seasonal influenza each year.