Influenza, Swine Flus and the Vaccine

Doris Bucher, Ph.D., directs the New York Medical College lab that develops high-yield recombinant virus strains for the production of the world's annual supply of influenza vaccine --some 400 million doses worldwide. Bucher earned her Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley and has dedicated her career to the study of influenza viruses and influenza vaccine development. She has established innovative techniques for the selection and isolation of virus vaccine strains, allowing a rapid response to yearly flu epidemics. Her research is crucial for a successful worldwide response to an expected influenza pandemic. Bucher will describe the challenges faced by society to remain protected from a virus that always changes its immunological identity and the implications for universal vaccination resulting from the Affordable Care Act.