Duke University Could Receive $400 Million Grant To Research Universal Flu Vaccine

Duke University's Human Vaccine Institute could be getting hundreds of millions of dollars in research funding. The grant, which will go toward researching the flu virus, is one of the largest the school has ever received.

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases is behind the funding. It's already approved around $30 million for the first year of contracted research on a “universal” flu vaccine — one that would be effective for various influenza strains, year after year.

If those contracts are extended, Duke could see up to $400 million over seven years.

The Duke Human Vaccine Institute began in 1985 researching vaccines for HIV and AIDS. The program has since expanded to study influenza, Ebola, and malaria.

According to The News & Observer, the university often partners with the government on research. 

Officials at the institute say their HIV experience leads directly toward working on universal flu vaccines.