In such a scenario, Katlinsky says, "we would need to find another technology that doesn't use chicken embryos. International experts recognize that this has to do with cellular technology." The possession of such a technology creates a competitive edge even in the production of vaccines against typical flu, on top of a great potential to export such a vaccine to Southeast Asia, where the risk of avian flu is much higher.

Microgen is also working closely with foreign partners like Oxford University to develop new non-injection drug delivery systems for vaccines. Katlinsky says, "There are new, advanced technologies that allow us to use in situ drug delivery to reduce dosage, substantially reduce side effects and achieve clearer results." A third promising opportunity for Microgen lies in its efforts to develop combined vaccines that contain several antigens in one injection.