HKU State Key Laboratory for Emerging Infectious Diseases and InnoHK Centre for Virology, Vaccinology and Therapeutics Successfully Develop Nasal Spray H5N1 Avian Influenza Vaccine

Researchers from HKU’s State Key Laboratory for Emerging Infectious Diseases and the InnoHK Centre for Virology, Vaccinology and Therapeutics (CVVT) have developed an innovative nasal spray H5N1 avian influenza vaccine using their influenza vector-based platform. This technology previously enabled the rapid creation of the world’s first approved nasal spray COVID-19 vaccine during the pandemic. With H5N1 now spreading across U.S. cattle and showing increased human adaptation risks, the team’s single-dose nasal vaccine induces robust mucosal immunity, neutralizing antibodies, and T-cell responses, offering rapid protection. If clinically validated, it could serve as a critical tool to curb transmission and mitigate a potential H5N1 pandemic. Funded by Hong Kong’s InnoHK initiative, this work highlights the urgency of preemptive vaccine development against emerging threats like H5N1.