NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Researchers at Tulane University may soon have a more effective way to fight the flu, thanks to a $1.6 million grant from the National Institutes of Health.
The New Orleans Advocate’s Della Hasselle reports Tulane immunologist Elizabeth Norton is working with a team of researchers to create a better flu vaccine. As part of that effort, they're testing two compounds that stimulate the immune system.
The "new generation proteins," as researchers call them, can boost a vaccine's effectiveness and help protect high-risk populations such as the elderly. Called LTA and LTA1, they can also be used in smaller doses to stretch a limited vaccine supply, a benefit researchers say is "critical" when dealing with a pandemic flu.
