Immuron has cows and ferrets fighting swine flu

Antibody specialists, Immuron, is on the cusp of beginning pre-clinical trials of its Influenza prevention antibody treatment after receiving the go ahead from the CSIRO animal ethics committee.

The trial will see ferrets plied with the antibodies, which are produced using Immuron's signature technique of deriving them from cow's milk.

First the cows are immunised and confirmed to have an immunogenic response, then the antibodies and proteins are harvested from the cow's milk.

The antibodies target Influenza, including H1N1 swine flu, and can be administered as a preventative as well as a treatment.

The trial will take place at CSIRO Australian Animal Health Laboratory (AAHL) in Geelong and will begin in May or June, with results expected by July or August this year.

The antibody treatment has already been tested in mouse models, and this is the first time it will be applied to ferrets, which are considered a 'gold standard' for testing treatments against Influenza.

These trials are partially supported by the ARC Linkage grant won by the University of Melbourne and Immuron in late 2009 and are part of a joint program of work between Professor Lorena Brown of University of Melbourne’s Department of Microbiology and Immunology and Immuron Limited.

Immuron (ASX:IMC) stock rose 1.5 per cent on the back of the news.