moar! the us government is launching a programme to modernize the development of flu vaccines. president donald trump signed an executive order on 19 september directing the department of health and human services and the department of defense to propose a plan and budget for the effort within 120 days. the goal is to improve the countrys ability to prepare for a future outbreak of pandemic flu, and to develop better vaccines to protect against seasonal outbreaks. the programme will support research to create a universal flu vaccine to replace the seasonal vaccine developed each year. the government will also develop a strategy for switching to faster methods of making seasonal flu vaccines. currently, manufacturers produce most flu vaccines using chicken eggs, a process that takes at least six months. the new process is cell-based which means it is made from aborted babies. these cells are typically madin-darby canine kidney cells,[6] but others are also used including: vero, human diploid cell lines wi-38 and mrc 5, perc6 and pmk cells. wi-38 is a diploid human cell line composed of fibroblasts derived from lung tissue of a 3-month-gestation aborted female fetus.[1][2] the cell line, isolated by leonard hayflick in the 1960s,[3] has been used extensively in scientific research, with applications ranging from developing important theories in molecular biology and aging to the production of most human virus vaccines.
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