Centivax Fully Enrolls 180-Subject Universal Flu Vaccine Trial Two Months After First Dose

Phase 1a will test against a 24-strain panel, then head-to-head against an FDA-approved seasonal vaccine. Expansion into the US and England is next.

May 5, 2026

Ahead of their appearance at SynBioBeta 2026, May 4-7th in San Jose, Centivax announces full enrollment of its first-in-human Phase 1a clinical trial of Centi-Flu 01, a pan-influenza universal vaccine candidate, with 180 participants enrolled two months after initiation.

A growing area of vaccine development targets conserved regions of the virus, the parts shared across strains that are resistant to mutation, rather than the variable surface features that shift from season to season. Several groups are working on this. Centivax is one of the furthest along clinically.

The trial began in Australia in early February.

"We now look forward to upcoming clinical data to test the hypothesis of our universal influenza vaccine" said Dr. Jacob Glanville, Founder and CEO.

The trial is randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled, designed to examine safety and broad immunogenicity of six Centi-Flu 01 regimens in healthy adult volunteers across younger (18-64) and older (65+) age groups. Immunogenicity is being assessed using gold-standard correlates of protection against a 24-strain influenza virus panel spanning guidance strains, pandemic strains, mismatch-year strains, and currently circulating strains.

Following the initial safety evaluation, the study will be unblinded. Participants who received placebo will be administered a commercially available seasonal influenza vaccine, benchmarking Centi-Flu 01 against an FDA-approved comparator. The two best-performing regimens will advance into a 128-subject Northern Hemisphere expansion study spanning the United States and England, including Japanese populations, enabling regulatory engagement across major international markets.

Centi-Flu 01 leverages Centivax's proprietary epitope-focusing platform to direct both antibody and cellular immune responses toward conserved regions of the influenza virus that are shared across strains and highly resistant to mutation. The company is applying the same platform across a broader pipeline.

"We will apply this approach across our pipeline, supporting the development of our pan-herpes virus Alzheimer's preventative, oncology treatment, malaria vaccine, and universal antivenom programs" said Jerry Sadoff, MD, Chief Medical Officer of Centivax.

Non-dilutive support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, CEPI, NIH, USDA, and the Department of Defense totals over $26 million. Investors include Future Ventures, NFX, Global Health Investment Corporation, BOLD Capital Partners, Amplify Partners, and others.