New TNO Triskelion Lab Tests Vaccines Against Deadly Viruses

Zeist The Netherlands /PRNewswire/ - Upgrade to BSL-3 level answers growing global demand for testing facilities

Introduction of a Bio Safety Level 3 (BSL-3) facility and development of special techniques allow Dutch TNO Triskelion to test vaccines against deadly viruses like avian flu and SARS. With this step the contract research organisation responds to a globally growing demand for testing facilities for the development of drugs against these dangerous infectious diseases. It also allows new vaccines against rapidly mutating (avian) influenza viruses reach the public sooner.

TNO Triskelion performs research activities for the pharmaceutical, chemical and food industries. The TNO Triskelion facility was recently upgraded to BSL-3 level and accredited by Public Health England (PHE), so that all class 3 viruses and bacteria deadly to humans - from HIV to tuberculosis, from avian influenza to SARS - can be studied in conformity with Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) if required. On a worldwide scale the testing capacity for vaccines against these viruses is extremely limited. ,,There are few BSL-3 labs that can do this in compliance with GLP standards, whereas the demand of the pharmaceutical industry is increasing," says immunologist John Dulos, senior project manager pharma at TNO Triskelion. ,,There is a growing need to develop new drugs and treatments against viral infectious diseases. With this upgrade we increase the testing capacity. If more drugs can be tested, new vaccines can be introduced sooner."

Among other things, the BSL-3 facility will be used for research into avian flu. The Avian Influenza A Virus H7N9 recently appeared in China, taking 40 lives. Virus H5N1 has been active since 1997, H7N7 has made victims since 2008 and recently a woman in China died from H10N8. The viruses spread mostly from animals to man. If avian flu evolves into a virus that transmits from person to person, the threat of a worldwide pandemic is at hand.

Examples of previous pandemics are the Spanish flu in 1918 (40 to 50 million casualties), the Hong Kong flu in 1968 (1 to 2 million casualties) and the Mexican flu in 2009 (250,000 casualties). TNO Triskelion can test treatments against all subtypes of Influenza, avian or human.