Dr. Doris Bucher is an Associate Professor in the Dept. of Microbiology and Immunology at New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY. Dr. Bucher has dedicated most of her research career to work on influenza viruses and influenza vaccine development.

Her laboratory at New York Medical College (NYMC) is one of three laboratories worldwide which produce high growth reassortant ‘seed’ viruses for the influenza vaccine. For the past seven years the NYMC reassortants have been used as the H3N2 component for the bulk of world flu vaccine (inactivated) production of 350-400 million doses.

Shortly after identification of 2009 H1N1 (swine influenza) by the CDC in April 2009 her laboratory was provided with the 2009 H1N1 isolate. A reassortant ‘seed’ virus, NYMC X-179A, was developed for the vaccine in about three weeks. X-179A was used worldwide by manufacturers to produce the 2009 H1N1 vaccine (inactivated, egg based). Several weeks later her laboratory produced two second generation reassortants, NYMC X-181 and X-181A, with even better growth properties; several flu manufacturers continued production of swine flu vaccine with these reassortants.

Flu vaccine manufacturers are now in production for the 2010-2011 flu season. The vaccine formulation includes a 2009 H1N1 reassortant (NYMC X-179A or NYMC X-181), an H3N2 (‘Perth-like’ reassortant, NYMC X-187) and a type B (B/Brisbane/60/2008 or the ‘Brisbane-like’ NYMC BX-35).

The Bucher lab is supported by the influenza vaccine manufacturers through their organization, IFPMA (International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations), Influenza Vaccine Supply International Task Force, based in Geneva.