Nebraska researchers develop low-cost swine flu vaccine

A team at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln has developed a new low-cost vaccine technique for swine influenza, using fat-like microscopic carriers to deliver DNA into pigs' muscle tissue, according to a news release from the university.

A single dose generated strong antibody responses within seven to 14 days. Researchers said the approach is faster, cheaper and easier to update than existing swine flu vaccines, which are formulated using whole inactivated virus particles.

The research was led by Husker graduate student The Nguyen, now a doctoral student in biomedical engineering at the University of Connecticut, under the mentorship of Hiep Vu, associate professor of animal science.

"My hope is that if we can use the same technology for multiple species, that will make this approach more like a versatile responder," Vu said.

The team is now exploring whether the same approach could be applied to poultry vaccines.