University of Maryland School of Medicine to study swine flu vaccine

The University of Maryland School of Medicine will lead a research study on an experimental vaccine to prevent swine flu.

The school’s Center for Vaccine Development will participate in a nationwide network of vaccine evaluation teams funded by the National Institutes of Health.

Starting in August, the clinical trial will enroll as many as 1,000 adults and children at 10 centers to evaluate the safety of the vaccine and measure its ability to stimulate immune responses to the H1N1 influenza virus. The virus has been declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization and has resulted in three deaths in Maryland.

The research is a first step toward the U.S. government’s goal of developing a vaccine before the flu season begins in the fall.

The University of Maryland’s partners on the effort include Baylor College of Medicine, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Emory University, Saint Louis University, Seattle Group Health Cooperative, the University of Iowa, and Vanderbilt University.