This webinar will feature an examination of the current status of the hemagglutination inhibition assay (HAI) as a surrogate test for evaluating serological status to influenza, both vaccines and natural infection. This program will include guidelines for the assay and describe some of the technical aspects and known shortcomings, such as the variability of this technique both within a single laboratory (validation) and in comparison to other laboratories. Also included in this discussion will be the current status of the HAI assay for H5N1 vaccine response evaluations.

The presentation help the audience understand some of the known disadvantages of the HAI assay, other assays currently being used in the influenza field will be discussed, including the influenza microneutralization test, single-radial hemolysis, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and neuraminidase inhibition. In addition, a brief mention of some of newer techniques being used to evaluate influenza vaccines, including ELISPOT, will be discussed.

Finally, there will be a brief discussion of the assays Focus has available for influenza vaccine analyses, as well as some of the new tests Focus has developed specifically for this purpose as an example of the portfolio of assays often used in evaluating new influenza vaccine candidates.