A group of South Korean scientists said Monday they have succeeded in developing a human vaccine against H1N1 Influenza A.
The scientists at Chungnam National University said they cultivated the ``standard virus'' supplied by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and created a non-toxic material that can be mass-produced cheaply.
The team, led by Prof. Seo Sang-heui of the college of veterinary medicine of the university based in Daejeon, said the vaccine was developed on Friday, 11 days after the CDC provided the virus sample.
The vaccine strain has been named CNUK-RG A/CA/4xPR/8 (H1N1).
/ Courtesy of Chungnam National University
The vaccine strain has been named CNUK-RG A/CA/4xPR/8 (H1N1), with the scientists at the school ``confirming'' its effectiveness through tests conducted on human and monkey cell samples. They said they expect to produce a fully developed and marketable vaccine in September, after basic clinical experiments are completed.
``The vaccine is probably the first developed in the world, with the university team ready to provide data to make the treatment material available to pharmaceutical companies and research laboratories around the world free of charge,'' Seo said. He said it may cost 60 million won ($47,000) to fully inoculate all of South Korea for the new flu virus.
He added that the World Health Organization (WHO) has been notified that the vaccine will be provided with no conditions attached.
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