PITTSBURGH, PA August 18/PRNewswire/ -- Analysis of recently released H5N1 bird flu sequences from Indonesia and Hong Kong has revealed the geographic movement and recombination of H5N1 in Southeast Asia. Indonesia's Health Minister recently approved the release of over 400 human sequences dating back to July, 2005. Similarly, Hong Kong University released sequences from Hong Kong dating back to February 2006.
This new data clearly indicates that H5N1 has been rapidly spreading and evolving via recombination. The sequences from Hong Kong were the Fujian strain, which has caused the recent reported human infections in China. That strain has now spread throughout Southeast Asia. The sequences from Indonesia indicated that all but one case outside of Karo have a novel cleavage site that does not match public poultry sequences. Moreover, the human sequences in Indonesia contain genetic sequences from both the Fujian and Qinghai strains, which are accelerating the evolution of the H5N1 viruses. Recently, a new cluster in Garut Indonesia has been identified
Recombinomics will be presenting analysis of these genetic changes at the Targeted Immunotherapeutics & Vaccine Summit in Cambridge, Massachusetts on Monday, August 21. Recombinomics President, Henry L, Niman, Ph.D. will present, "Pandemic and Seasonal Influenza Evolution Via Recombination - Selection of Vaccine Targets" at 9:35 AM and will be on a panel discussion on "Funding for Vaccines" at 4:30 PM.
"The talk will include the important acquisition of new sequences by the various H5N1 strains in circulation as well as acquisitions by seasonal flu. The recently released sequences from Indonesia have significantly increased the influenza database available for analysis, which now provides some striking examples of H5N1's recombination driven evolution," said Henry Niman. He continued, "The newly released sequences demonstrate the utility of a robust sequence database for tracing the origins of influenza and selecting new vaccine targets for current vaccine production against future and emerging strains."
Recombination is used by all rapidly evolving viruses, which creates a major challenge in vaccine development as well as the timing of vaccine production and distribution. Recombinomics has defined genetic acquisitions rules, which are applicable in the vaccine development process so that targets can be created prior to the emergence of new strains. The influenza sequence database is expanding rapidly, providing additional examples of various types of recombination, which can be exploited in the design of effective vaccines.
About Recombinomics, Inc.was founded by Dr. Henry Niman, a former Scripps Institute Assistant Member, based on his pioneering work in the area of viral evolution. Dr. Niman's research identified recombination as the underlying mechanism driving rapid genetic change, allowing him to file a series of patents based on a deep understanding of this paradigm shifting process. Recombinomics is in the process of commercializing its patent-pending approach to significantly improve the standard vaccine development process. Recombinomics, through its analysis and commentary section of its website (http://www.recombinomics.com), has been consistently ahead of both the scientific community and government agencies in anticipating the genetic evolution and geographic expansion of H5N1.
About The Targeted Immunotherapeutics & Vaccine Summit - Novel Vaccines show promise for protecting humanity from the scourge of disease, yet their worth is not always appreciated by the public, leading to shortfalls in funding and product. This summit features talks from leading innovators in the field of vaccines, ranging from cutting-edge research to breakthroughs in transporting and administering vaccines throughout the world. The conference is part of the Cambridge Healthtech Institute's conference series.
Contact Information:
Dr. Henry Niman
President
Recombinomics, Inc.
648 Field Club Road,
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15238
Tel. 866.973.2662
henry_niman@recombinomics.com
