Universal flu vaccine could soon be a reality.

 

Centivax, a clinical-stage biotech pioneering universal vaccines, has dosed the first participants in its Phase 1A trial of Centi-Flu 01, a universal flu vaccine designed to protect against current, future, and pandemic influenza strains.

 

The study, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled dose escalation trial with an open-label active-controlled phase, will evaluate safety and immune response in adults aged 18–64 and those 65 and older. Phase 1A marks a critical step toward a vaccine aimed at broader, more reliable protection than traditional seasonal shots.

 

Unlike conventional flu vaccines, which must be reformulated annually, Centi-Flu 01 targets conserved regions of the virus that cannot mutate, generating broad and durable immunity across strains.

 

“For decades, flu vaccination has been reactive,” said Sawsan Youssef, founder and Chief Science Officer of Centivax. “A universal influenza vaccine allows us to be proactive—moving from annual guesswork to predictable durable response.”

 

The trial will assess efficacy using the gold-standard hemagglutination inhibition (HAI) assay across more than 20 flu strains, comparing Centi-Flu 01 directly to existing vaccines. Data from 180 subjects is expected later this year.

 

“We are aiming to correct the problem so many of us experience: where, despite taking a flu shot, you still get sick,” said Jacob Glanville, PhD, founder and CEO of Centivax. 

 

“The Phase 1A is a key value-inflection point for the company because we will see very quickly whether the vaccine—and the universal immunity platform—is working and if it outperforms standard of care. This accelerates us towards the very large $7B a year flu market and the unmet medical need of consistent immune protection against flu.”

 

Centivax’s platform is also being applied to a pipeline including a pan-herpes Alzheimer’s preventative, broad oncology treatments, a malaria vaccine, and a universal antivenom, recently highlighted in Cell and major media outlets.

 

“Vaccines can deliver benefits well beyond preventing the initial infection, serious disease and symptom reactivation caused by pathogens,” said Jerry Sadoff, Chief Medical Officer of Centivax. 

 

“From my much earlier work helping lead the development of Zostavax, we're now seeing evidence that shingles vaccination is associated with lower risks of Alzheimer's disease and cardiovascular events. That's a glimpse of what's possible. We believe universal vaccines can take this further—expanding protection across diverse pathogens as well as protecting against the diverse long-term pathology they contribute to.”