H5N2 live attenuated influenza vaccine

The H5N2 live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) is an investigational pandemic influenza vaccine candidate developed through a collaboration between PATH and the Institute of Experimental Medicine (IEM). It utilizes the Russian Leningrad-17 (Len-17) cold-adapted donor strain as a backbone, which is reassorted with the hemagglutinin (HA) from an H5N1-like virus (specifically A/Vietnam/1203/2004) and the neuraminidase (NA) from the donor strain to create an H5N2 phenotype for enhanced safety. Administered intranasally, the vaccine is designed to induce mucosal, humoral, and cellular immune responses by mimicking a natural infection without causing disease. In clinical development, it has been evaluated primarily as a priming agent to enhance the magnitude and breadth of the immune response to subsequent boosters with inactivated H5N1 vaccines, such as OrniFlu.

Other names

H5N2 pandemic influenza vaccineH-5N2 pandemic influenza vaccineH 5N2 pandemic influenza vaccinePATH H5N2 LAIVLive attenuated H5N2 vaccine