Scientists compare FluMist and flu shot immune responses in nose and lungs
NCT ID NCT07177417
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 26, 2026
Summary
This study looks at how two FDA-approved flu vaccines—FluMist (a nasal spray) and the standard flu shot—trigger immune responses in healthy adults aged 18 to 40. Researchers will measure antibodies in the blood, nose, and lungs before and after vaccination. Some participants will also undergo a bronchoscopy to sample lung tissue. The goal is to better understand how these vaccines protect the upper and lower airways.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- FluMist (live attenuated influenza vaccine) and Fluarix (inactivated influenza vaccine)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this study could help scientists understand how flu vaccines trigger immunity in the lungs and nose, potentially leading to better vaccines.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage study (30 people) focused on measuring immune markers, not on preventing flu. Results may not apply to the general population.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Phase 4
Runs after approval, following long-term safety and how well the treatment works in everyday use.
- Participants
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About 30 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Sep 2025
- Expected to finish
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Nov 2028
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 40 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Healthy adults aged 18-40 years * Able to understand and give written informed consent * In stable health, as determined by medical history and targeted physical exam related to the history Exclusion Criteria: * Prisoners * Anyone unable to provide full written informed consent * Pregnant women and nursing mothers or women who are planning to become pregnant during the study interval * Female subjects who are sexually active with male partners who are not actively on hormonal contraception or who do not have an IUD in place * Vaccination with a seasonal influenza vaccine or documented infection with seasonal influenza in the past 9 months * Receipt of any vaccine in the 28 days prior to the pre-vaccination study visit or planned receipt of any non-study vaccine before completion of study day 28 visit * Current smokers * BMI \> 40 * Individuals with an immunocompromising medical condition or who have received systemic immunosuppressants or immune-modifying drugs for \> 14 days in total within 6 months prior to screening (for corticosteroids ≥ 10 mg/day of prednisone equivalent for \> 14 days total) or is anticipating the need for immunosuppressive treatment at any time during participation in the study * Individuals who currently have symptomatic acute or unstable chronic disease requiring medical or surgical care, to include significant change in therapy or hospitalization, at the discretion of the investigator * History of excessive alcohol consumption, drug abuse, psychiatric conditions, social conditions or occupational conditions that in the opinion of the investigator would preclude compliance with the study * Have donated blood, blood products, or bone marrow within 30 days before study entry, plan to donate blood at any time during the duration of study participation, or plan to donate blood within 30 days after the last blood draw. * Current ongoing participation in a clinical trial evaluating an investigational agent unless the trial is in follow up only and the last dose of the investigational agent was taken \>30 days or \>5 half-lives prior to enrollment, whichever is greater. * Any condition in the opinion of the investigator that would interfere with the proper conduct of the trial. For participants willing to undergo bronchoscopy: * Any known chronic pulmonary, cardiovascular, neurologic or hematologic disorder that could, in the opinion of the physician bronchoscopist or the principal investigator, put the subject at unnecessary risk from the sedation and bronchoscopy procedures. These conditions may include, but are not limited to, the following: asthma, COPD, obstructive sleep apnea, pulmonary fibrosis, cystic fibrosis, pulmonary hypertension, heart failure, previous myocardial infarction, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, supraventricular tachycardia, paraplegia, quadriplegia, epilepsy, sickle cell disease, hemophilia, chronic anemia or active cancer. * Coagulopathy (primary or iatrogenic) which would contraindicate bronchoscopy for participants willing to have those procedures done. Any participant with an INR\>1.4, PTT\>40 or platelet count \<100,000 at study screening will not be eligible for bronchoscopy. * Evidence of significant pulmonary disease on the day of bronchoscopy, including pulse oximetry with oxygen saturation of 92% or less on room air, or infiltrate or pleural effusion on an upright PA and lateral chest x-ray performed on the day of bronchoscopy. * Allergy or contraindication to anesthesia for participants willing to have bronchoscopy done.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Washington University in Saint Louis School of Medicine Emergency Care and Research Core
RECRUITINGSt Louis, Missouri, 63110, United States
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