UNAIR NEWS – The avian flu epidemic has made researchers of Avian Influenza Research Center (AIRC) Universitas Airlangga, University of Lausanne and University of Geneva, Switzerland, collaborate to develop one shoot vaccination. One shoot vaccination is combined vaccinations which should be given periodically into one vaccination.
“At the moment, the vaccine injections are given periodically. From babies to elementary school students, they are given more than one injection. It causes the demand of vaccine even higher. The industrial has not been able to meet the high demand. The demand has exceeded the supply,” said the Head of AIRC Prof. Dr. Chairul Anwar Nidom in Indonesian Vaccine Formulation Symposium, Wednesday, March 29 in Kahuripan Hall 300.
High demand is not met with the enough supply to prevent the distribution of fake vaccines. The formulation of one shoot vaccination will be more efficient.
UNAIR will be the first university developing one shoot vaccination in Indonesia. With Swiss universities, UNAIR has established three year research partnership since 2015.
Facilities of UNAIR Laboratories are the supporting factor which made the Swiss researchers invite UNAIR to develop the vaccine.
The researcher of University of Geneva, Prof. Gerrit Borchard, said that Switzerland was appointed by World Health Organization to develop this one shoot vaccination with specific formula, nanoparticles. To realize this, virus sample and equipments are needed. UNAIR has both of them.
This symposium was a part of the efforts of the three institutions to invite other researchers to work together to deal with avian flu problems in Indonesia.
“With fifteen total members each team, the symposium is expected to attract interests from other researchers working on vaccines to handle the problem in Indonesia. The success of this research will make Indonesia gain reputation at global level,” stated Nidom.
For Nidom, a researcher has an obligation to provide solutions to any problems. If there are researchers who found the best formula for one shoot vaccination, the mass-production can be done. (*)
Author: Helmy Rafsanjani
Editor: Defrina Sukma S
