Flu Lab

Fueling bold approaches to defeat influenza.

[Options2024 @options2024]

10 days till @options2024 where we kick off with the mini school of influenza!
Sponsored by @TheFluLab and @sanofi
With experts @E_A_Karlsson @florian_krammer @tompkins_lab @K_RenfreeShort and more!

https://t.co/OkRVum2igm

[Center for Open Science @OSFramework]

Influenza & virology researchers: Ready to embrace #OpenScience? 🔬

Our @TheFluLab-supported resources include training materials, teaching frameworks, and more to help you integrate practices like preregistration and data sharing into your work. https://t.co/0hElplSEnk

[Katy Milkman @katy_milkman]

🚨New Paper in @Nature🚨
To simplify & speed up COVID vaxxes in mid-2021, the White House announced free @Uber & @Lyft rides to vax sites. Great idea, right? We ran a HUGE experiment: Do free round-trip @Lyft rides to pharmacies boost vaccination? A🧵
https://t.co/kAEecv6eKN

[Michigan News @UMichiganNews]

U-M receives $6.7M grant to study flu immunity in children

No parent wants to see their baby sick. But a child’s first exposure to influenza is actually very important—it can impact their natural protection against future flu viruses.

This process, called imprinting, in which our bodies create antibodies the first time we get the flu that influence our immune response to future flu viruses, has long interested @UMich infectious disease researcher Aubree Gordon, who has spent years studying the dynamics of flu transmission and immunity.

Now, Gordon, a professor of epidemiology and global public health at the @umichsph, has been awarded a $6.7 million five-year grant to advance her innovative research into influenza immunity development among children. @TheFluLab, an organization that supports efforts to advance innovative solutions to persistent problems in the prevention and treatment of influenza, has funded the grant for Gordon’s FluGuardians: Michigan Influenza Immunity Cohort through the end of 2028.

“This study represents a monumental step toward understanding how early influenza exposure—whether through infection or vaccination—shapes the immune systems of children in the long term,” said Gordon, who is also principal investigator at @umichMCIDT. “We’re immensely grateful to Flu Lab for supporting research that has the potential to transform our approach to influenza prevention and immunity.”

@UMichResearch, launched in 2023, played a critical role in helping to secure funding for this project.

Gordon and her research team will focus on the comprehensive study of flu immunity development, from infancy through childhood. The ambitious project aims to enroll up to 850 infants in Ann Arbor within six weeks of birth, with the goal of closely following their immune responses to both influenza infection and vaccination.

The FluGuardians study is leveraging a @umichmedicine-led food allergy cohort study, the Michigan Sibling Immunity Birth Study, which is also enrolling participants this year. With 680 to 765 healthy children anticipated to participate in both studies, the research will not only investigate natural infection and vaccine-imprinted immune responses but also examine the broader immunological landscape, including innate immunity.

The study’s techniques include standard serological testing, systems serology using Luminex technology, and advanced machine learning methods to analyze the complex data. Supplementing Gordon’s established Dissection of Influenza Vaccination and Infection for Childhood Immunity Consortium study—conducted in partnership with @StJude Children’s Research Hospital—the research will explore how initial exposures shape B and T cell responses, potentially leading to recommendations for tailoring immunizations in children.

“The community in Ann Arbor, known for its high infant influenza vaccination rates and enthusiastic participation in research studies, offers a prime setting for this cohort study,” Gordon said. “Our connection with the local population, combined with their consistent engagement, provides a unique opportunity to address important questions about influenza immunity.”

The findings from the study are expected to not only contribute significantly to the field of influenza research but also to inform strategies for the development and evaluation of next-generation and universal flu vaccines.

[Options2024 @options2024]

📣📣 Exciting announcement: Late Breaking Orals and Posters have opened!

OPTIONS XII 2024 would like to announce that we have opened Late Breaking abstract submissions from Monday 6 May to Thursday 11 July 2024!

[Christine Marizzi @CMarizzi]

1) OUR 2nd PREPRINT! I'm delighted to show you the work the New York City Virus Hunters have been doing over the last two years!

[Michael Ison, MD MS @MichaelGIsonMD]

Human challenge studies are critical for vaccine development. @NIAIDNews is excited to inform the research community of the limited availability of cGMP material for controlled human influenza virus infection model (CHIVIM) clinical studies and trials.

https://t.co/H5CA4LUtLz

[Seema_Lakdawala 🏳️‍🌈 @Lakdawala_Lab]

Thrilled @TheAtlantic highlighted our new work on flu transmission - big shout out to @nicolecrockey and our whole mitigate flu team @linseymarr @MartinEpi @anice_lowen (to name a few) and @TheFluLab for funding this ‘crazy’ idea!!

[BARDA @BARDA]

BARDA’s IEID Division seeks presentation submissions of host-directed therapeutic candidates from drug sponsors to address acute respiratory distress syndrome (#ARDS), to join our virtual product pitch competition, Just Breathe – An ARDS Therapeutics Pitch Event July 24-28, 2023.

[Ole Fröbert @FrobertOle]

Proud to share that today we opened for enrollment in INVITED, an RCT testing if influenza vaccine can mitigate type 1 diabetes NCT05585983 @DLBHATTMD @cpgale3 @PagetPhd @ECDC_Flu @flu_virus @LbyMads @NielsJessen1 @TroelsKrarup @SVRaoMD @RHollingsworth2 @StenoAarhusRes

[Flu Lab @TheFluLab]

New influenza vaccines need new evaluation tools. ISIRV seeks abstracts for their “Correlates of Protection for Next Generation Influenza Vaccines” mtg Mar 2023. Learn more: https://t.co/ByLweNTs7R

[Inder Singh @inderstweet]

Excited to see @FastCompany sharing how the @kinsa forecast is helping brands and retailers plan during this unprecedented illness season. #demandplanning #kinsainsights #publichealth #brands #retailers

https://t.co/49uBVHk5qa

[Linsey Marr linseymarr.bsky.social @linseymarr]

Knowledge♻️between flu and Covid-19 on transmission, viral interference, interventions, long flu/Covid. At-home rapid flu tests would be awesome!
https://t.co/DbsE6FvWtu with @NIAIDNews @Lakdawala_Lab @VirusesImmunity and me.

[Flu Lab @TheFluLab]

We are committed to advancing the development of better tools to fight influenza - and that includes improving how those tools are evaluated. We are excited to support Protas and share their vision for smarter clinical trials.

[Martin Landray @MartinLandray]

Very pleased to announce that Protas has received funding from @TheFluLab, a charitable organization fuelling bold approaches to defeat influenza. Read more here:
https://t.co/oV7qkBZXBm

[Center for Open Science @OSFramework]

Just a few days left to apply for the Open Science Fellowship for Influenza Researchers!

With funding from @TheFluLab, COS is recruiting influenza and public health researchers to promote #openscience in their communities. Apply by Oct. 14: https://t.co/L4vkJXEOV2.

[Center for Open Science @OSFramework]

Stop by to check out our poster at #OptionsXI!

Topic: Most Influenza Researchers Personally Support #OpenScience. Why Are So Few Doing It?

While you're there, learn more about our @TheFluLab-funded open science fellowship for #influenza researchers! https://t.co/WbYMHwXJ5m

[Center for Open Science @OSFramework]

Are you at #OptionsXI this week? Make sure to check out the COS poster on #openscience on Wednesday! And learn more about our @TheFluLab-funded open science fellowship for #influenza researchers: https://t.co/WbYMHxfktW. @OptionsXi

[The Influenzer Initiative @TheInfluenzers]

Interested in #influenza research and #OpenScience? @OSFramework, with funding from @TheFluLab, is offering stipends for a variety of research activities including departmental talks, conference travel, and research publications. Find out more at https://t.co/r2LhprHRpY

[Linsey Marr linseymarr.bsky.social @linseymarr]

Droplet spray, inhaled aerosols, or contaminated surfaces? Section 4 "How, exactly, does the virus transmit from person to person?" covers lots of great work by Munster @Don_Milton @Lakdawala_Lab @anice_lowen to try to answer this. @TheFluLab https://t.co/GmebezYGnQ