Immunization Newsbriefs (c) Copyright Information Inc., Bethesda, MD. Brought to you by the National Network for Immunization Information (NNii). Visit NNii's new website at http://www.immunizationinfo.org.
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May 05, 2003
INTERNATIONAL IMMUNIZATION NEWS
"Straining to Find a Cure"
Financial Times (www.ft.com) (05/02/03) P. 14; Firn, David
Following analysis of the influenza virus in London, Melbourne, Tokyo, Atlanta, Congo, and Madagascar, experts sent the most active and dangerous strains to vaccine manufacturers in order to prepare for the next influenza season. Fertilized hens eggs are used to create vaccines, which means creating new mutations of the virus is a slow process. Researchers at Solvay Healthcare in the United Kingdom are attempting to speed up the process by using canine kidney cells grown in tissue culture to produce the flu virus, which could cut production from six months to just six weeks.
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