FluGen awarded $11.4 million grant to study flu vaccine

Madison-based FluGen Inc., a clinical-stage vaccine company has been awarded funding from the U.S. Department of Defense, according to a release from the company. The study, supported by an $11.4 million grant from the DoD, will evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of M2SR, the company’s investigational influenza vaccine. This study will compare an H3N2 flu vaccine candidate to a licensed quadrivalent vaccine that is considered the current standard of care for adults ages 65 and above. Protecting against drifted strains, particularly H3N2, has been a challenge over the last decade because H3N2 flu viruses tend to undergo more genetic changes and this can lead to a mismatch between the vaccine strain and those that circulate during the flu season.