Influenza claims the lives of about 100 children in the U.S. every year and hospitalizes around 20,000. About half of children who die because of influenza were previously healthy. And influenza is the 8th-leading cause of death in the United States among people of all ages. Although live attenuated influenza vaccines (e.g. FluMist) have been used for intranasal immunization, live virus vaccines cannot be used by elderly, children under the age 2, or individuals with compromised immune system.  

            We previously reported positive results from mice studies demonstrating that CaP nanoparticle technology can serve as a vaccine adjuvant to develop inactivated influenza virus vaccines for injection or intranasal (mucosal), as well as vaccines against H5N1 (avian flu) and pandemic 2009 H1N1 strain (swine flu). We demonstrated that, CaP-adjuvanted influenza vaccines can induce systemic as well as mucosal antibodies. 

            CaP technology also allows formulation of the vaccines as thermostable dry powder. Thus, development of inactivated influenza virus vaccines for nasal administration, particularly as powder should bring substantial economic and health benefits for the national and global influenza immunization programs. This would substantially improve the ability of nations to rapidly respond and protect their people during an influenza pandemic.