November 26, 2007

Inviragen wins US$600,000 grant for bird flu vaccines

Inviragen Inc., Colorado-based developer of vaccines, received a 2-year grant of US$600,000 from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to develop bird flu vaccine.

The Small Business Technology Transfer award supports Inviragen's collaboration with the University of Wisconsin on the project, the company said Tuesday.

Dr. Dan Stinchcomb, the company's CEO, said that the project would combine Inviragen's edge in genetic engineering of vaccines with the University's bird flu expertise.

The grant will fund the construction and testing of new vaccines designed to combat the bird flu virus.

Inviragen's main goal is to develop a vaccine that is easy to manufacture, simple to administer and provides broad protection against multiple bird flu strains.