Unbiased Science

What the Cluck Is Going On with Bird Flu?

10 snips
Dec 17, 2025
Guest
Chad Costley
Dr. Chad Costley, President and CEO of Blue Willow Biologics and an expert in vaccine development, delves into the urgent world of bird flu, particularly H5N1. He discusses the potential for this virus to mutate into a pandemic threat and explores innovative research on an intranasal vaccine that promises to enhance immunity while addressing vaccine hesitancy. Chad highlights the need for accurate public health messaging and shares insights on the hopeful future of vaccine development, including a universal flu vaccine that could revolutionize prevention.
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INSIGHT

Why H5N1 Is Particularly Dangerous

  • H5N1 is a distant influenza cousin with surface proteins our immune systems rarely recognize.
  • That lack of background immunity makes H5N1 a pandemic concern if it gains human-to-human transmission.
INSIGHT

Mutation Makes Future Risk Unpredictable

  • Influenza constantly mutates and we cannot predict which mutations enable human-to-human spread.
  • Small evolutionary changes could transform a poultry virus into one that spreads widely in humans.
ANECDOTE

Origin Of The Intranasal H5 Study

  • BlueWillow's intranasal H5 vaccine work originated from University of Maryland researchers in the Civics consortium.
  • The team combined an H5 protein with BlueWillow's intranasal adjuvant to generate strong mucosal immune responses.
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